The Cat Returns 2
by RandomFanfictionGurlz
Summary: Haru's life continued as always- she went to school, she did her homework.. She eventually moved out and found her own place to stay, along with Kaoru- her talking cat. After two years of normal life, it was about time that Haru's life got exciting once again. (In Progress)
1. A Walk Through Town

**Chapter One – A Walk Through Town**

**Disclaimer ~ I own nothing here apart from characters that have obviously been made up c; (meaning, characters that aren't in the film!)**

**Yo guys- Jess here. I am completely and positively obsessed with this film. Its literally the best :D**

**Haru x Baron**

**Enjoy!**

**ooOoo**

_**Prologue**_

_In the middle of a forest, shrouded by a dense cloak of fog, not far from the Cat Kingdom, stood two cats._

_In the darkness that was the night, only their silhouettes were visible._

_Circling each other slowly, they anticipated the other's move._

_"Have you been watching the girl?" One of them spoke, his cloak covering the majority of his body. The other cat bared it's teeth slightly._

_"Of course I have."_

_Smirking, the first cat nodded. "Good.. Good.. Time has almost come, Kaynen."_

_The cat named Kaynen remained silent as they continued to circle each other._

_"And when that time comes, you had better be ready.." the first cat warned, hissing._

_Kaynen stopped the circle, staring timidly at his master. After a moment, he stooped low in to a bow. "Of course."_

_When he straightened, the cat had vanished, leaving not a trace behind. Kaynen turned and began to make his way back through the towering trees._

_**End of Prologue**_

*BEEPBEEP*

Haru groaned and rolled over in her bed.

*BEEPBEEP*

"Alright alright.." she mumbled in to her pillow, her hand lazily seeking out her alarm clock.

Another day at school.

Kicking the blanket off of herself, she sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Thank god it was the weekend tomorrow. All she wanted was a nice, long, lie-in.

Yawning, she made her way down stairs and made herself breakfast. She had taken it upon herself to actually get up early and eat before she went to school nowadays.

As she poured orange juice in to a glass, she felt something against her legs.

Smiling, she looked down the see her tabby cat, Kaoru, brushing himself against her legs in greeting.

"Morning, Kaoru."

"Good morning, Haru." the cat replied, his eyes gleaming up at her.

Yes, her cat talked.

Two years ago, Haru had found him as a stray, and decided to take him in as soon as she found out that he could talk. Ever since, they've been as close as two peas in a pod, keeping it a secret from Haru's mum. But seeing as she moved out of her Mum's a few months ago, Haru and Kaoru have been free to talk to each other. Living with a cat that talked was much easier than living with one that didn't- instead of having to guess how he felt and what he wanted, Kaoru just told her. Made life much easier.

Plus, having Kaoru around was her last connection to the Cat Kingdom. Before she found him, she's been yearning to go back and see the Baron, and Muta, and Toto. But she knew she couldn't. Then she found Kaoru, and he reminded her so much of her past adventures, and the memories were constantly running vividly through her mind each time he spoke, that having him there quelled his frustration of not being able to go back.

"Did you sleep well?" Kaoru asked, climbing up on to the table as Haru sat down.

"Yes, I slept very well." Haru replied, her mouth full with Frosties.

Kaoru stood up on his hind legs and wandered over to her. "We should do something today."

"Kaoru, I have school," she replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, school. You're old enough to drop out, you know," Kaoru said, a paw taping her spoon as she went to put it back in her bowl.

"I know I am, I just think that I should stay on until the end. Just to make Mum proud."

"Your mum is proud of you anyway, Haru. And so am I." Kaoru flashed her a smile, and Haru returned it.

"If you really want to do something today, I guess I could call in ill." Haru gave in. Kaoru leapt off the table happily.

"That's great!"

_A few hours later._

Haru walked through town, carrying Kaoru in her arms.

They got a few strange looks from passers by, especially when Haru started to talk to the cat, but they were used to it.

It was a nice day- the sun was up and the cool breeze made the heat bearable for many people, especially tourists. Intentionally, they had set out to go to the beach, but they'd soon found out from angry shouts that animals weren't aloud there.

So instead, they decided to walk through town.

They were passing through a part of town that Haru was familiar with most. On the right hand side of the street, a sweet little café stood, the white chairs and tables marking it's presence.

Haru smiled as she stared at the chairs- it had been a while since she'd stopped and looked at this place.

It was, after all, the place her adventures had properly started.

She searched the chairs, a spark of hope appearing in her, as she looked for Muta.

He wasn't there.

_Wishful thinking,_ she thought to herself.

Kaoru suddenly started purring, and wriggled in her arms, asking to be let down. When she set him down on the floor, she watched him closely as he made his way through the table and chair legs.

When he was almost out of sight, Haru panicked a little and went to follow him before he disappeared from sight completely.

When she caught up, he turned his head to her and smiled. "Come on, Haru!" And he headed down a small alley way.

Haru frowned- a flash of déjà vu. This alley way seemed all too familiar.

"K-kaoru!" She called after him, picking up her pace. "Kaoru, come back!"

But Kaoru, pretending he didn't hear her, kept on going. He climbed up on to a low roof top, waited for Haru to catch up again, and then continued.

Haru's heart pace began to quicken as she took a guess at where they were headed.

And, soon enough, her suspicions were confirmed.

Right in front of her stood the Cat Bureau.

Kaoru brushed himself against her legs once again and ran through the archway, stopping at the statue in the middle of the Bureau.

Haru took a deep breath, trying her best to control her joy, which was threatening to overflow her calmness with a delighted yell, as she gazed at the houses.

Her gaze finally settled on the little green one. The one she loved so much- and, sure enough, next to the green house's post box, lounged a big fat cat. Muta.

Kaoru, having already reached Muta, was prodding his belly with a paw.

Muta woke with a start, falling out of his deck chair.

Haru burst out with laughter, pointing at Muta as he struggled to get back on his feet.

At first, Muta was angry that someone was laughing at him, but when he saw Haru's face, a rare, if not brief, smile appeared on his lips.

"Well," he muttered. "The little chick has returned.."

**ooOoo**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Please tell me what you think in the reviews! :D**

**(Sorry if the chapter was too short/too long!)**

**Ciao!**


	2. Catching Up

**Chapter Two – Catching Up**

**Hey again-**

**This is the next chapter to the story. I'm enjoying this far more than I thought I would have- just shows how much of a great film it is! (Is currently watching it whilst she types) I've got literally a week off of school (including the weekend, obviously) so there'll be more chapters coming your way.**

**(P.S Check out our other stories! First Encounters, The Four Horsemen, and on the FictionPress website, Miotasach :D)**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

Inside a little green house, a handsome ginger cat paced.

It had been a week now and he had not a single client come to his door. Usually, he wouldn't mind. The quiet was nice, and who didn't enjoy the comfort of their own home?

But lately, he'd been itching - literally - for an adventure.

He wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him. He had Muta to keep him company, and Toto- but something was missing, and he just couldn't quite place his paw on what.

Sighing, he sat down on his sofa, his chin resting in his paw.

_I need a hobby, _he told himself. _A little something to keep myself busy whilst I don't have any clients._

In his mind, he started to go through a list of possibilities;

Sewing - _Not a chance._

Cooking - _Not really my thing._

Fencing - _Maybe, I could do with polishing up my skills._

He continued to go on through a list hopelessly. There just wasn't anything else that fitted him- something that he was interested in.

Standing up, he wandered over the the window- he always stood there when he needed to think.

But what he saw was not the usual, peaceful Bureau. Outside his window, Muta's large body blocked most of the view, and even though he had his back to him, he knew Muta was smiling.

Looking past Muta's bulky figure, his mouth opened slightly as a tall, slender figure came in to view.

He couldn't believe his eyes- no client ever returned to the Bureau. He always solved their problems first time. But, he couldn't say that it wasn't a welcomed surprise.

He straightened out his white suit and left his house, coming to stand beside Muta.

Haru stopped laughing at Muta and turned her attention to the ginger cat who had just joined them.

She walked through the arch way and knelt down in front of them, Kaoru coming to sit on her lap.

"Baron." She said softly, a smile creeping on to her face.

Baron, the ginger cat, took off his top hat and bowed low. "Miss Haru, a pleasure to see you again."

Haru's smile broadened, and she just managed to refrain herself from picking him up and hugging him tightly.

"Haru.. You know them?" Kaoru purred from her lap, his eyes gleaming up at her again.

"Of course I know the Baron, and Muta! Why do you think I was so cool with you talking the first time I found you?" Haru smiled softly down at him, her hand running down his back.

Baron watched them- so she'd met another talking cat? He wondered how long they'd known each other.

"I guess that's reason enough." Kaoru laughed.

Muta coughed and looked expectantly at Haru.

Haru tilted her head to the side and introduced Kaoru.

"Muta, Baron, this is Kaoru. I found him as a stray two years ago. He is, I am not ashamed to admit, my best friend."

Haru felt good telling someone about Kaoru- even if it was another cat. She had kept it a secret that her best friend was a cat. Only god knows what her friends would think!

She found herself laughing at the thought of her friends finding out.

The others were looking at her with confusion, and she grinned at the,

"I'm sorry- I just found it funny that my best friend is a cat."

Baron smiled at her, nodding understandingly. "It would seem weird to you, yes. Just as it would for Kaoru."

Haru glanced at Kaoru. "I can understand that."

"Well, Baron, we can't stand out here all day. How about some cake?" Muta said, rubbing his paws together.

With a flourish, the Baron put his top hat back on and welcomed them inside.

There was a lot of cake eating and talking, they caught up on each other's lives- how Haru had moved house, and how she was doing at school. Baron informed her that he'd had many letters from the new King, Lune, and his wife, Yuki. They had had a litter of three beautiful kittens recently.

"Kittens! Oh! They must be so adorable!" Haru said, sipping her tea.

Baron nodded slowly, smiling. His previous frustration had vanished at the sight of Haru. As much as he was pleased with this, he couldn't help but wonder why.

He gazed over at Kaoru, the young tabby that had accompanied her. _So, he's been with her for two years? They're pretty close, then,_ he thought to himself.

A smile came to his lips as he played with the thought of him being in the place of the tabby cat. Would he have been so close to Haru as Kaoru was?

Mentally shrugging, he turned his attention back to Haru. The last time he had seen her was on the roof of her school, after they'd escaped the grasp of the crazy Cat King. Her hair had grown longer- it now flowing to her waist.

He distinctly remembered her telling him that she had a crush on him- he'd been utterly flattered. And he was being honest when he said that he admired her.

Kaoru excused himself and went out of the front door. Baron noticed how Haru's gaze followed him until he was out of sight.

Haru turned to see the Baron staring at her, and she blushed, flashing him a smile. Conversation started up again.

There was a distressed yowl from outside and Haru snapped her head round.

"Kaoru!"

She sped for the door, crawling out.

"Kaoru!" she called again. Gasping, she saw Kaoru pressed against the floor, a black cane at his neck. He looked over at Haru desperately. The cat standing over him was tall, and jet black- his eyes a mesmerizing light green. He was wearing a black suit and grey gloves.

"Haru! H-help!" Kaoru stuttered, his eyes pleading.

Haru stepped forward to help him, but the black cat looked at her, his eyes glinting. He slowly shook his head, and Haru - being mesmerized by his eyes - stood back.

The Baron was soon at her side, frowning at the black cat.

"Who are you?" he asked, but got no answer.

It simply smirked and waved it's hand, a blue, swirling portal appearing in front of him.

Prodding Kaoru through with his cane, he followed in after.

Haru's eyes widened as the portal started to slowly close, and she rushed towards it.

"Haru! Wait!" the Baron, a paw out to stop her. "That's the way to the Cat Kingdom- are you sure you want to go through there again?"

Haru paused, gazing past the blue swirls and at the green landscape that lay behind it. She nodded.

"I have to get Kaoru back."

Baron nodded as well, and motioned for Muta to follow him as he stepped through the portal. Muta went in after him, and Haru, taking a deep breath, soon followed, just before it closed completely.

**ooOoo**

**Cheesy, right?**

**Well, guys, I hope you liked it!**

**Next chapter will be up asap :) please leave reviews to let me know what you think.**

**Thanks.**

**Ciao.**


	3. Haru's Dream

**Chapter Three – Haru's Dream**

**Guys! It's Valentine's day!**

**Isn't that great? (No.)**

**I'm kidding- Happy Valentine's day!**

**WARNING- Intense cheesiness + it's a short one!**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

Haru sat up in the grass, a hand gently patting her head.

"Oh god.. I think I landed on my head.."

She slowly stood up and looked about. She was in a vast field full of cat tails.

"Baron?" She called out. Just ahead of her a tall, ginger cat in a white stood up.

"Oh, good! Baron, you landed okay, yes?" she asked when she reached him. The Baron smiled softly at her and nodded.

"I see you're a cat again." he said, eyeing her up and down. "I'd forgotten how cute you looked with ears."

Haru blushed vividly. "Heh, yep! I'm a cat again! This is the Cat Kingdom after all! Haha.. Okay, lets get going.. Where's Muta? I swear he was around here somewhere, we should look for him.."

Haru continued to busy herself talking about finding Muta, whilst the Baron just smiled and watched her.

He put a hand on her arm softly and turned her around. She looked at him and blushed again.

"Muta's already left for the castle, Haru. Calm down." he told her. He was looking at her weirdly- it made her have butterflies in her tummy.

"U-uhm, okay then! Lets go after hi-"

"Or we could stay a while." he interrupted her, he was now holding her hand with his.

Haru continued to go redder amusingly as he sat down, her going down with him.

"This is a rare opportunity, Miss Haru." He said, looking her straight in the eye.

Haru looked away, not knowing how to react to this situation.

Was this really happening?

The Baron pulled her closer and hugged her, making her even more confused. But, even so, she returned the hug, relishing in his body warmth.

"Baron?" she asked him.

"Yes, Miss Haru?"

"Is this... Is this a dream?"

Baron looked down at her, his eyes gleaming. "It feels like it, doesn't it?"

Haru nodded slowly, gazing out at the field. The cat tails looked a little too.. perfect to be real. It was all a bit hazy.

But her mind was distracted by that almost instantly when the Baron lowered his head to her height, and looked at her with what seemed like lust in his eyes.

Haru blinked, unsure he was looking at her. "..Baron?" she whispered.

He smiled, leaning closer.

Haru closed her eyes and waited..

"HARU! GET OFF OF ME!"

Haru's eyes snapped open and she sat up immediately. What was happening? Where was the Baron?

Something wriggled from underneath her and she yelled out, jumping up.

Muta was flat on his stomach, looking rather distressed.

"Why does everyone have to sit on me!" he said, exasperated.

Haru gasped and put her hands to her face as she realized that she must have landed on him. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

She helped Muta to his feet and smiled sheepishly up at him. "Where's the Baron?" she asked.

Muta shrugged. "How should I know? I've been squashed by you for almost ten minutes! Were you asleep?"

"I.. I don't know. I probably was.."

_Huh.._ she thought to herself as she looked around. Same field. Same cat tails.

_Maybe it was just a dream after all!_

And then she was laughing. "Oh, Muta! I had the strangest dream.."

She told Muta about her dream, blushing the whole time.

Muta smirked at her and ruffled her hair. "So you still have that crush on the Baron, kid?"

Haru raised her shoulders and smiled, not answering.

_Maybe I do.._

**ooOoo**

**Well! Sorry for it being so short :D I was working on the VD valentine chapter too :3**

**Hope you enjoy it- please leave a review!**

**Ciao!**


	4. The Cat Castle

**Chapter 4 – The Cat Castle**

**Hiyah.**

**Thanks for the reviews- keep 'em up!**

**ooOoo**

Haru shrugged at Muta. She was standing with him in the middle of a field filled with cat tails.

She seemed to have had the same landing as the last time she was here. Not to her surprise though, she was rather clumsy.

With her hand she felt around her head, and, sure enough, there were a set of soft, pointy cat ears.

"Cat ears!" She whispered. She took down her hand and looked at her hands- paws. Her heart began racing again as she fought back a smile. She was back!

Muta smirked at her, but she ignored him.

Muta made a face at being ignored and stood beside her. Wow, he was big. She'd obviously shrunk like last time.

"Ah, poor Muta, always being sat on, it seems." Haru looked around to see the Baron smiling at her. When she was normal height for the Cat Kingdom, he was taller than her, so it was him that looked down at her this time.

Haru smiled, "Oh, Baron, we were just going to come and look for you! Look! My hands are paws!" She held them out and they both looked at her paws. Do I have a tail as well? She asked herself. Only one way to find out!

She began to twirl around, trying to catch a glimpse of her tail. The Baron and Muta laughed at her as she did so.

Cheering, she saw her long, silky brown tail, and she stopped twirling. Although she had stopped, the world kept on spinning and she stumbled forward, a silly grin on her face.

"Careful there, Haru." The Baron said, holding her arms to steady her. She looked up at him, and surprised herself as well as the Baron by hugging him.

"I couldn't have hugged you when I was human- I would have crushed you!" She explained, smiling up at him. He paused for a moment and then laughed, returning the hug. Suddenly, her dream came back to her and she smiled inwardly. Muta seemed to have been thinking the same thing as he was grinning at the two.

After a moment they let go of each other, Haru's face going a light red.

"Well, any one have any ideas as to where we landed?" Muta asked, flattening out his fur.

The Baron took a look at their surroundings. The field seemed to go on for quite a while, but the tips of little huts were just visible to the south.

"Looks like we're not that far from the palace." He informed them.

Haru's smiled widened as she thought of Yuki and Lune- and their kittens!

"Well, let's go!" She said, bounding towards the little huts.

The Baron chuckled and went after her, closely followed by Muta.

After a while of running..

A tall, majestic castle came in to view as the three made their way through a small village of huts. It was teeming with all kinds of different cats playing, working, and laughing. It was nice- it was peaceful.

As they walked through, many cats stopped to stare- mainly at the size of Muta, much to his annoyance.

A bunch of kittens ran around in circles just ahead of them, all chasing a butterfly.

Haru watched them as they leapt and called for the butterfly- two of the kittens collided with each other and landed in a heap of hysterical laughter. The laughter was contagious, and soon enough Haru found herself laughing as well.

Her laughter caught the attention of the little kittens and they waved to her as the three passed, beaming smiles on their faces.

"Wow, this place is much happier than last time I was here!" Haru said, smiling and waving back.

The Baron nodded and smiled as well. "Yes, since King Lune came in to power, everything's been so.. Tranquil."

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the long path way that lead to the castle doors.

"Hoorah! We're here!" Haru said, starting along the path.

The Baron took hold of her arm and stopped her though. "Haru, wait. You can't just walk across there." He smiled at her.

Haru stumbled, and blushed. "Oh.. Oh right. I'm sorry."

Baron laughed and patted her head. "Its quite all right. We just need to wait."

Haru laughed awkwardly and stood next to the Baron, her face a new shade of red.

After some waiting, a messenger cat came and ushered them in side quickly.

They were taken to a small but elaborate room, and they were soon joined by Lune and Yuki. In Yuki's arms were three adorable kittens- one being white like its mother, and the other two a light grey. They all had their father's mismatched eyes.

"Baron, Muta- and Haru! What a surprise!" Lune exclaims, opening his arms in welcome.

The Baron stepped forward and shook Lune's paw, as did Muta. A conversation started up, explaining their arrival.

Haru gazed at the three kittens in Yuki's arms, ignoring the conversation going on behind her.

"Oh.. Yuki.. They're adorable!" She whispered. Yuki smiled at her.

"Aren't they just? The white one's Kisa, and the greys are twins- Hatashi and Shigure."

"Can.. Can I hold one?" Haru said, struggling to control herself at the sight of such cuteness. Yuki offered her Kisa, and Haru took her gently in her arms. Kisa looked up at Haru with her mismatched eyes, making Haru's heart melt.

"Yes, you see, this.. 'Black Cat' has catnapped a rather close companion to Haru- his name is Kaoru. Have you heard of him?" The Baron asked Lune, immediately catching Haru's attention.

"I'm afraid not," Lune said, shaking his head. "But it is not the first time this Black Cat has struck. Two months ago he attacked a village, not far from here. We are still unaware of his reason."

"Even if you haven't heard of him, will you please help us find Kaoru?" Haru asked him, pleading, as she cradled Kisa.

"Of course, Haru. I will do everything in my power to help yo-"

"Sir! There's a tabby cat at the gates! We're not sure who he is." Lune was interrupted by a guard entering the room.

Haru looked to Baron, who nodded to her. Lune led the way out of the room and down to the gates.

Three guards were standing around a tall, tired looking tabby cat, who was doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

"Kaoru!" Haru cried out, passing Kisa over to Yuki before rushing over to him.

The guards tried to hold her back, but Lune shook his head and told them to let her pass.

Haru threw herself at Kaoru and engulfed him in a hug. "Oh Kaoru! You're safe!"

Kaoru buried his face in to her fur and nodded. "I barely managed to escape him.." He muttered. Taking a hold of her shoulders, he pulled her away to get a look at her. A smile appeared on his lips.

"My my, you're a cat!"

Haru grinned and hugged him again. "Yes- I'm a cat. But Kaoru, how did you escape?"

Letting him sit down, she knelt beside him, and they gathered round as he told them how he managed to slip away as the Black Cat consulted a group of mercenary cats in the woods. He'd not heard much of their plans, but he had come straight to the palace, only to be held up by guards.

"And this is where I am now- I'm not sure what it is he's planning, but it looks like another attack on a village, King Lune." Kaoru finished. Haru had placed her paw on his as he told the story, and he was currently holding it.

King Lune went on to ask him some more questions, and the Baron watched Kaoru and Haru closely. A strange feeling had swelled inside him as he had watched Haru reach for Kaoru's hand. _What did Kaoru really mean to Haru?_ he couldn't help but wonder.

Muta folded his arms across his chest, nudging the Baron in the process.

"Did anyone ever tell you its rude to stare, Baron?" Muta grumbled, smirking slightly.

Baron shook himself and looked up at Muta. "Its not rude unless you have evil or somewhat perverted intentions." He concluded.

Muta, having nothing to add to that, simply shrugged. He had a feeling that this was going to get interesting.

**ooOoo**

**Well, there you go guys! I told you I had a lot of time on my hands. Expect a chapter every day until Wednesday- if I do not live up to this then feel free to mentally kick me! But no biting. I don't do biting.**

**Please review!**

**Ciao!**


	5. Jealousy?

**Chapter 5 – Jealousy?**

**Yooo..**

**Thanks for the reviews, guys.**

**Here's the next chapter!**

**Enjoy!^_^**

**ooOoo**

"We'll get on the task of catching this Black Cat before he attacks another village straight away," Lune proclaimed, "And in the mean time, feel free to roam the palace. I'll get a servant to prepare rooms for you all."

That was three hours ago, and it was now getting dark. Kaoru had been put under 24/7 guard, by the request of the Baron, much to Kaoru's irritation. He didn't like being followed about like some prisoner. He hadn't done anything wrong. He looked to Haru for sympathy, and, of course, she gave it.

"But, Baron, why does he need to be under guard? He's a guest, after all!" Haru said to the Baron as they walked through the palace together. She was wearing a baby blue dress, borrowed off of Yuki. She looked beautiful in it, with her long brown hair flowing down to her waist.  
She found it strange how she still had hair when she was a cat- but she sure wasn't complaining.

"I know he hasn't, Miss Haru, its simply for his own safety." Baron smiled at her, offering her his arm. She took it and nodded.

"I know, but I can see how it would annoy him- I certainly wouldn't want to be followed about all the time.."

Baron sighed slightly and looked down at her. "I admire your concern for him, Miss Haru, but don't get yourself worked up about it."

Haru went silent, nodding a reply. They walked the way back to the dining room in silent thought.

They entered the dining room and the Baron led her to her place at the table. He took his seat next to her.

The rest were already seated, and greeted them when they arrived.

The servants served their dinner- fish, of course.

Haru, unlike her last visit, enjoyed it. She ignored the fact it was raw, and ate it wholeheartedly. Kaoru was sitting opposite her, and he flashed her one of his smiles.

Conversations started up as the desert was served (catnip jelly, bringing back bad memories for Muta). Once every one was finished, Haru excused herself and left for her bedroom. She was more tired than usual, and was looking forward to a good night's sleep.

She threw herself on to her bed and sighed, closing her eyes. She found herself drifting easily off to sleep.

She dreamt of a white mansion on a sunny day- the sky was blue and clear. A dark and dense forest lay beyond the mansion, the grass just at the opening was littered with blooming flowers, ranging in colours from red to purple.

There didn't seem to be an entrance to the mansion, and the more she looked at it, the more it looked like it was swaying with the wind.

In her dream, she heard someone calling to her. She looked around for the person, but no one was around. The person called to her again, and this time they were standing right next to her.

Although she didn't recognize him, she knew who he was. He was a close friend to her and she knew him very well. He seemed to smile at her, and he slowly lifted a hand and pointed towards the swaying mansion.

Him pointing to the mansion didn't really make sense to her but she approached it none the less. There was nothing special about it, minus the fact that it swayed.

She came up close to the wall and turned around. Her friend was still smiling and poitning. She turned back around and this time, there was a door in front of her.

She lifted her hand to open the door, but it swung open herself. Haru turned back to her friend once again, only to see he wasn't there.

Strong arms were around her waist suddenly and she was pulled back in to the mantion. Just before she caught a glimpse of who had grabbed her, everything went black and..

She woke up.

She was sitting upright in her bed, her blue dress still on.

"Haru..?"

Haru jumped and yelled out, her paw flying up and making contact with someone's face.

"Who is tha- Oh! Kaoru!" She said, watching Kaoru nurse his chin.

He smiled at her and placed a paw on hers. "My, Haru, you have quite a punch."

Haru blinked at him. "Oh, I'm so sorry- I didn't know who it was.." She shook her head slightly. "What are you doing in my room, anyway?"

"Well," he began. "I wanted to come and talk to you so I knocked on your door. But when I got no reply I thought I'd come in anyway, and you looked like you were having troubled dreams, so I stayed."

Haru frowned slightly as she recalled her dream. It wasn't every day that she had a weird dream like that, and it bothered her that she couldn't name the cat she saw, either.

Kaoru watched her with concern. "Haru, are you all right?"

Haru looked back up at him and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream, that's all. I guess I should expect that on my first night back at the Cat Kingdom!"

Nodding slowly, he patted her paw. "Ah, yes. It was very brave of you to come after me- even if I did manage to escape on my own."

"Oh, don't make me out to be a brave person, Kaoru. You know I don't do compliments." Haru said, mock-scolding him.

Kaoru nudged her playfully before sighing.  
"You know, I once thought of coming to live here- not in the palace, of course, but you know, here. In the Cat Kingdom."

"So.." Haru said, her head tilted to the side slightly. "So why didn't you?"

He raised his shoulders slightly and leant back to lie on her bed. "I don't know- maybe the fact that a brunette girl found me one day and took me under her gentle wing?" He grinned at her.

Haru tucked her knees under her next to Kaoru, looking down at him. "Oh yeah? Well, I think you should be grateful to that brunette."

"Oh don't worry, I am grateful. I am very grateful- I would have regretted coming here anyway!"

Haru frowned again. "I wonder why.. I mean, I know that the Baron is really a creation, and not really a cat, but still, he never seems to come to the Cat Kingdom often. Or atleast, not that he's told me of. So, why is it that there are still tons of cats who would rather live outside of here, if this is.. Well, the Cat Kingdom?"

Kaoru remained silent for a while, his tail flicking up and down every now and again. Eventually he just shrugged, looking at her.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. Maybe its just the company of humans."

From outside of Haru's door, the Baron turned and walked away.

He'd followed Kaoru up to Haru's room and listened to their whole conversation.

He didn't know what had gotten in to him- he was a respectable cat who helped people with their problems. But stalking people? That just wasn't him.

Something about Haru's question lingered in his mind. Even he didn't know the answer to it. Its not something he'd ever thought about before, and he was certain that Kaoru hadn't either, otherwise he would have given her a proper answer.

Kaoru.

The Baron disliked Kaoru. He disliked Kaoru for many reasons, but none of which he could name.

He disliked how he was in Miss Haru's bedroom right now, even if they were just friends. Haru had told him that Kaoru was almost like a brother to here, they were that close.

Stop being unreasonable, he told himself.

And just as he did, he walked face first in to Muta's belly.

"Oomph- Oh, hey Baron." Muta said, looking down at him. "Do you mind detaching yourself from my stomach? I'm planning on eating soon."

Correcting himself, the Baron stood back and looked up at his friend.

"My goodness, Muta, we ate just an hour ago."

Muta nodded and smoothed out his belly. "Yes well, when a cats gotta eat, a cats gotta eat."

"When you put it that way, it almost makes sense." The Baron dusted off his hat and sighed.

"Something bothering you, Baron?"

"Yes, actually. Its that Kaoru- I don't think he's what he's making himself out to be. Isn't it just a little to coincidental that he gets catnapped by the Black Cat, leading Haru in to the Cat Kingdom?" Baron said, leaning on his cane.

Muta frowned at the Baron slightly. "Baron, I'm sure that Kaoru is exactly what he looks like- a young, tabby cat. He's very close to Haru. Are you sure you're not just jealous of him?"

"Jealous? Now, Muta, why would you think such a thing?"

Muta shrugged, looking past the Baron and to the direction of the kitchens. "I don't know- but you should consider it." And with that, he trudged past the Baron, leaving him to his thoughts.

**ooOoo**

**Well, there you go!**

**So far so good with my promise- I might even put get the next chapter up today as well, depending on what we do with the VD fanfiction..**

**Just so you know, I love reading all the reviews we get- makes me happy that people like reading what me and Shan create :D**

**Anyhoo,**

**Hope you enjoyed, and please review!**

**Ciao!**


	6. The Forest

**Chapter 6 – The Forest**

**Hey,**

**I seriously thought that I wasn't going to get this one up today! I got half way and just didn't know how to continue it. Plus, the fact that my sister put on Supernatural didn't help- I can't resist Jensen and Jared!**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

"Excuse me, Baron." A stout brown cat stood in the door way to the lounge. The Baron, and everyone else, looked up. "King Lune requests your presence in the meeting room." The messenger bowed low and the Baron got to his feet.

"Excuse me." The Baron brushed off his white suit and followed the messenger out, leaving Haru, Muta and Kaoru in the lounge.

"I feel the need to follow them." Kaoru said, staring after the Baron. Haru nudged him slightly.

"If Lune wanted us to hear as well he would have asked for us."

Kaoru made a face and shrugged. "Fine then. You tell me the story of your last visit here, then, and I won't go and eavesdrop."

Haru sighed, and began to tell him about her previous adventure two years ago. Really, she loved telling him this because it brings back the excitement for her. He'd asked her to tell it to him at least five times since they got here.

It took her a while to finish the story- she always went in to as much detail as possible. And by the time she had finished, the Baron came wandering in through the doors.

"Well, I have some news." He said, catching every one's attention. "There's been a report of the sighting of the Black Cat not far from here, in the forest. King Lune wishes to go out there himself and investigate."

Haru leapt on to the sofa nearest him. "Well that's great! If they catch him, we'll have nothing to worry about!"

The Baron smiled down at her. "Yes, it is great- but only if we are actually able to catch him. And the report might not be accurate, so.."

"Who's he taking?"

"Well, naturally, Muta, Kaoru and myself."

"Oh, right," Haru looked a little disappointed. "I'm assuming me and Yuki have to stay here."

The Baron hesitated before nodding. Haru folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. He glanced at Muta briefly, who was preoccupied with a cake, and then back at Haru.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Come now, Haru. You can't give me that look." Baron said, sighing.

Haru frowned. "Yes I can. I'm not going to stay here and let you go off without me."

"The Baron has his reasons, Haru." Kaoru piped in. Haru turned around and flashed him a glare which silenced him.

"I'm not going to stay here." She said. The Baron sighed and looked over at Muta, who rolled his eyes and stood up.

Ten minutes later, Haru sat in her room, the door locked. She had almost gone red with embarrassment and rage.

Muta had simply hoisted her over his shoulder and walked her to her room, and then locked the door.

"We'll get a maid to let you out for dinner." The Baron had said to her. She knew he was enjoying this.

She threw herself on to her bed with a frustrated growl. This was unfair.

There were footsteps outside her room and she went quite, watching the shadows from underneath the door.

There was a quiet knock on her door, but Haru decided that she was going to ignore everyone. Even if it was Kaoru.

She remained silent on her bead, and she could hear a soft sight. Then the shadows got larger and darker under the door as the person outside knelt down. They slid something under the door, got up and walked away.

Once she couldn't hear the footsteps any more, she got up and went to pick up whatever was slid under the door.

It was a note, and it read;

If you want to come, get changed and climb out the window.

Haru frowned and looked to the window. She was pretty high up.

Deciding that she was going to trust this mystery person, she went to her wardrobe and took out the clothes she wore when she went through the portal- her blue skinny jeans and a red t-shirt.

Once she was dressed, she opened the window and looked down.

Coincidentally, there was a ladder propped up against the wall under her window. She grinned and made her way down the ladder. On many occasions she almost slipped, but stopped herself just in time before she fell the whole way.

When she got to the bottom, she made her way around to the front of the castle. There was a group of cats, all in uniform, and carrying satchels filled to the brim with what looked like supplies. They were certainly going all out with the packing.

The doors to the palace opened and Lune, Baron, Muta and Kaoru stepped out. They were dressed for a journey, and had satchels of their own.

Haru stayed a good distance away from them as they began to make their way across the fields of cat tails.

It was a tiring walk- when she arrived they'd been going down hill, but now the journey was up hill, and all the cat tails weren't helping.

They walked for a good hour and a half before they reached the outskirts of the forest.

The Baron and the others seem unchanged by the tiring walk as they set down for a rest.

_Maybe I'm just unfit,_ Haru thought to herself, also setting down some feet away from them, shrouded by the bushes just in front of the trees.

Stretching out in the grass, she peaked through the cat tails at the others. Even from afar, it looked like the Baron seemed tense sitting next to Kaoru, who seemed to be having a great time. They were eating some things from their satchels.

Haru's belly rumbled as she looked at their food. She needed to eat something, but she had nothing. She hadn't exactly had the opportunity to pack anything.

Sighing, she began to shuffle slowly and quietly forward towards the others. If she was careful she'd be able to snatch something from one of their satchels. The worst case scenario would be that she'd get caught and sent all the way back to the palace. She didn't intend on going back.

As she got closer, she could hear their conversation. They were talking about how they should react to an unexpected attack.

"If he should strike us within the forest, then our best shot would be to split up. After about ten minutes of running, circle back and meet up outside the forest." Lune said. Baron and the cats in uniform were the only ones really listening to them, seeing as Kaoru was too busy being fascinated by the way Muta went about eating half of his supply.

Haru froze as her tummy rumbled again, hoping that the others were busy enough not to hear it. They didn't seem to notice, so she let out a shaky breath.

She reached out slowly towards Kaoru's untouched, yet open, satchel. As she inched forward, the possibility of Kaoru turning around and seeing her grew larger. Her heart was pounding as the tip of her paw nudged the satchel, causing it to tip towards her. She nudged it again and this time the satchel tipped over completely, an apple and a miniature fish rolling out.

Hungrily, she grabbed them both and started edging backwards. Just then, Kaoru turned his head slightly and looked down at his satchel.

"Hey.." He said, peering at it. His eyes followed the flattened cat tails and grass, and Haru rolled to her left in to some more cat tails for cover, just as he looked to where she had been lying.

He stared there for a moment, and then shook his head and turned back around.

Haru's heart began to slow and she continued backwards. As soon as she got a safe enough distance away, she sat up and bit in to the apple.

Some time later..

They started packing up and moving in to the forest again. Haru jumped up and began following them.

As they got deeper in to the forest, the less light there was, and Haru was starting to get increasingly freaked out. There wasn't much wildlife in the forest, and the only flowers there were dead ones.

It was all very depressing.

Haru decided to stay a little closer to the group this time in case anything were to jump out on her.

"Hey- Baron?" She heard Kaoru say. "Have I done anything to.. Make you angry with me?"

_Awh, sweet Kaoru._ Haru thought, smiling slightly.

The Baron turned his head to look at him slightly. "Not at all. It just seems weird to me that you'd be as close to Miss Haru as you are now."

Kaoru looked at him with suspicion before shrugging, deciding to leave it at that.

They continued walking through the forest, following some kind of path that Haru couldn't see. She kept looking at the dark trees- something wasn't right about them. At times she swore she saw something moving.

"Excuse me, Miss." A husky voice from behind her almost made her cry out. She spun around, and right in front of her stood a masked cat. He seemed to be completely covered with a cloak. He was wearing cloves, boots, and a belt around his wait that held a sword in its sheath.

"U-uhm.. Yes?" Haru's eyes widened as she stared at him. He looked awfully mysterious.

The cloaked cat placed a hand on his hips, looking down at her. "I require you to come with me."

Haru frowned, glancing behind her at the others who were getting further and further away.

"I'm afraid I can't- I need to follow them."

She turned to leave, but the cat's hand grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"It was mandatory." And before she could answer back, he leapt in to the trees, dragging Haru with him.

**ooOoo**

**Well, there you go! I think that I'm going to have to stay up to get the next one done- don't have all day tomorrow D:**

**Please review :D**

**Ciao!**


	7. Catnap

**Chapter 7 - Catnap**

**'Sup!**

**Thanks for the reviews so far!**

**And for those wondering about VD fanfic, well.. There'll be one coming up soon! We've been working on it, I promise!**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

Haru had found it hard keeping up with the cloaked cat's pace, and she made it evident by stopping all of a sudden.

The cloaked cat kept running though, and soon enough, she was being half-dragged along.

"H-hey! Stop!" She called out angrily. The cat scowled slightly and whisked her up in to his arms bridal-style, and then kept running.

Eventually they came to a stop at some random part of the forest. She was glad that he seemed to know where they were, because she sure didn't. When he placed her down on the ground, she looked about.

It looked just like any other part of the forest- trees, dead plants, grass.

"So, why'd you catnap me, again?" She asked the cat a little too coolly for someone in this situation.

"You are Haru, the girl from the human world, yes?" The cat asked in his husky voice.

Haru nodded and he continued, "You are obviously aware of the threat of the Black Cat, otherwise your 'friends' back there wouldn't be out here searching for them. If you're wondering whether I am with the Black Cat or against him, then I can assure you that I am an enemy of him."

For some reason, hearing this didn't make her feel any better than if he had told her he was in league with the Black Cat.

"I am Ashitare- and I'm here to prevent the Black Cat from continuing with his plan. And that plan involves you, my dear, hence why I took you. With me, he can't get near you."

Haru raised an eyebrow. "What's his plan gotta do with me?"

The cat looked at her, and if she could see his face, she would see an expression of exasperation.

"He needs you to perform some kind of ritual that will give him more power. Are you telling me that you were completely unaware of this?"

"Well.. Until now, then yes." she didn't like it that some stranger knew more about her situation than she did.

"Well then," Ashitare continued. "Now that I have you here, I must warn you- if you try to escape from me, I will kill you on the spot. Whether you're alive or not, doesn't matter to me. Either way, the Black Cat cannot fulfil his task."

_Back with the others.._

After about fifteen more minutes of walking, the group had to stop to wait for Muta to catch his breath- he'd eaten too much at the break and now had a stitch.

The Baron paced up and down slowly, glancing every now and again down the path, attempting to glimpse something.

He didn't feel right- the thing he wanted to see was not there.

Kaoru watched the Baron pace, and a slight smirk appeared on his lips.

"So, you've noticed her as well?" He asked the Baron. They were out of earshot from the rest of the group.

The Baron stopped and looked at him. "Of course I have. How long have you known?"

"Since the start." Kaoru said, leaning back against a tree trunk. The Baron studied him suspiciously.

"And you didn't tell us?"

Kaoru shrugged. He was getting on the Baron's nerves.

"She's not following us any more." He said. "I reckon she turned back. She's like that, you know. She's very clever, but sometimes she goes in to her own world."

The Baron nodded, and then continued pacing.

_Back with Haru and Ashitare.._

Haru sat with her back against a tree, her knees up to her chest. Ashitare was setting up what looked like a miniature tent, whilst whistling an unrecognisable tune.

"Ashitare?" Haru said.

"Yes?"

"When can I go back?"

Ashitare stood up straight and wandered over to her. He leant down so that they were face to face. "As long as the Black Cat is at large, you're not going back. Be quiet or I might reconsider just killing you." He gave her a cold smile and then turned back to the tent.

Haru bit her lip to stop it from trembling and she closed her eyes. She thought about how the Baron and Kaoru and the others could be in danger- then again, they were in danger anyway, whether she was following them or not.

_Dammit!_ She scolded herself mentally. _Haru, you're good at nothing!_

Ashitare looked over to her just as a tear rolled down her cheek. His brow furrowed and he looked away again. He had no time for silly girls. If she'd known any better she would have stayed in her own world- save them all the hassle.

Once he had finished the tent, he went over to Haru and, instead of annoying himself by asking, he picked her up and put her inside. He chucked a few blankets in after her and a bag of fish. It was getting dark, after all, and he couldn't have her moping about outside.

Haru curled up in a corner and began to feel sorry for herself. She glanced at the satchel and grabbed it, eating its contents angrily.

She nestled down in to the corner after she'd eaten, and tried to go to sleep.

Sometime during the night, Ashitare came in and made a space a bit away from her and lied down himself. His deep breaths indicated he was asleep a little while after. _How can he fall asleep so quickly?_ Haru asked herself, envying him.

Sighing, she rolled over and tried again.

Eventually she fell asleep to troubled, unhappy dreams.

**ooOoo**

**Hey, sorry it's a short one! Didn't have much time :P But the next VD fanfic is coming up soon.. very soon :D**

**Please review!**

**Ciao!**


	8. The Camp

**Chapter 8 – The Camp**

**Hiyah,**

**This chapter is mainly so that I don't get internet bites from all you lovely readers, so it won't be a long one..**  
**I'm actually stumped on how to write the next few chapters out, even though I have them planned. And I'm ill. *Sympathy scrounger***

**If you understand that then yay :'3**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

"I don't think that she'll be safe going back on her own."

The Baron and Kaoru were making their way back to the others.

"Yes.. I have to agree with you on that." The Baron agreed.

"These aren't the safest of woods- especially with the Black Cat about. Why are we out looking for him anyway? We should be readying the villages for a possible attack." Kaoru kicked a stone and watched it fly away in to a bush.

"The villages have been warned, I'm sure they can fend for themselves when needed."

Kaoru shrugged. "I suppose. Are we going to tell King Lune about Haru?"

"Yes," the Baron nodded. "I'll ask for us to double back and search for her in case she needs help getting back."

"And leave the search for the Black Cat?"

"I'm sure Haru's safety means more to you than finding the Black Cat?" He inquired, glancing at him.

Kaoru raised his shoulders. "Of course. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her. She's my home."

The Baron nodded and remained silent as they reached the rest of the group.

Kaoru explained to them about the situation with Haru, and they immediately turned back- the Black Cat foolishly put aside.

With Ashitare and Haru..

They were on the move again- Ashitare carrying Haru bridal-style through the trees nimbly.

Haru thought of when the Baron had carried her like this on their way to the top of the now smashed down tower in the palace maze.

She looked up at Ashitare, and she didn't feel any hint of feelings towards him like she had with the Baron. She really didn't like this cat.

"Where are you taking me now?" She asked him, looking at the trees as they passed.

"We're headed to a camp," he said. "My associates are there and will help me decide on what to do with you. Personally, I hope we.. Get rid of you."

Haru gritted her teeth and glared at him. By that, she assumed he meant to kill her._Well, I want to 'get rid' of you!_ She yelled at him in her head.

Ashitare didn't seem to ever tire as he continued to run through the trees, always looking ahead. It wasn't long until they came to this camp.

There were five large tents all together and a fire in the middle. Around the fire sat four cats, all cloaked like Ashitare, except they were in a very dark blue.

They turned around as Ashitare entered the clearing. He put Haru down and tied her hands to the nearest tent and then went to greet them.

They all hugged and shook hands- looked like they were pretty close.

Ashitare spoke quietly with the ones in blue and motioned towards her a couple of times.

Haru knew they were talking about her and she didn't like it.

After a while she was brought some food, and her hands were untied, and they tied her foot to the tent instead.

She didn't feel very welcome there as she watched them laugh and eat by the fire.

Some time later, she fell asleep against the tent. Ashitare came over and untied her and then carried her to a tent and placed her down. He put a blanket over her and left her there.

As she slept, the Baron came across the remains of their previous little tent. He circled it for a while, learning its scent, before Kaoru caught up with him. Muta had had to stop again so the others waited with him. As soon as Kaoru got near the scent, he bared his teeth slightly and hissed.

"I know this smell.." He growled.

The Baron looked at him, surprised. "You know who was here, other than, obviously, Haru?"

"Of course I know this smell. That devil.. He's either killed her by now or he's going to. There's no denying it."

The Baron stared at Kaoru, wondering how he knew about this mysterious person, when this probably his only trip to the Cat Kingdom.

He certainly didn't trust this cat.

**ooOoo**

**Ooohhh.. Baad ending to get you thinking!**

**Anyway, VD fanfic will be up tomorrow if I can bring myself to finish it. Which will be a yes.**

**Hope you enjoyed, and please review!**

**Ciao!**


	9. Not Bad

**Chapter 9 – Not Bad **

**Yo!**

**So, this is the next chapter :D**

**WEEKLY chapters now, due to school, life, etc etc..(ANDITSMYBIRTHDAYTOMORROW:D)**

***cough* So, yeah!**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**ooOoo**

Haru sat bolt up right in the tent, breathing heavily.

Raising a paw to her forehead, she sighed with relief. She wasn't some angry monster about to eat Kaoru and the Baron.

When she looked at her wrist, she realized that she wasn't cuffed any more. The shackles were on the ground next to her make-shift pillow.

She crawled out of the tent, and saw that the camp was empty. She glanced about slyly, and a small smile creeped on to her face.

She was alone in the camp?

Haru can finally find out at least a tiny bit about her captors without looking suspicious, or being tied up again. This bunch really did scare and confuse her.

She wandered around the ashes of the camp fire a while, deciding on where to look first. Getting fed up with her indecisive mind, she walked over to the first tent, nearest to the outskirts of the forest.

She knelt down and thought about going inside the tent itself, when she caught a glimpse of brown leather. She pulled at it, and she ended up holding a leather-bound notebook.

Curiosity has always been her weakness, and she turned the front page to look at what was inside.

She got a glimpse of writing before the book was snatched from her paws and thrown away in to a bush.

Jumping, her eyes darted up to the person who had taken it- Ashitare. He didn't look happy.

"You nosy little girl! What were you planning on doing? I let you out of the bounds and you go -snooping- around Tomohome's stuff?!"

He glared daggers at her and she cowered beneath him, her arms up defensively.

"A-ashitare! I was only having a look..-"

"A look? A look at someone else's belongings? You've some nerve, girl."

"But I didn't think I would be intru-"

**_SMACK_**_._

The back of Ashitare's gloved hand smacked right across her face. Haru almost spun from the force of the impact, her eyes filling with tears as her cheek stung fiercely.

She kept her face turned away as Ashitare breathed in and out heavily. She heard the swish of his cloak as he turned away from her and began to walk away.

Clenching her fists, she angrily wiped away her tears and stood up. She walked swiftly up behind Ashitare and stood firmly on to the hem of his cloak.

The material snapped taught and Ashitare choked as the string tightened around his neck. Next thing he knew, he was in a pile on the floor, glaring up at Haru.

"I believe that it's depending on -me- whether this Black Cat succeeds or not, so if you want me to stay on -your- side, I suggest you stop treating me like some kind of intruder, because YOU brought me here. YOU catnapped me. Get over yourself."

She stood off from his cape and turned, walking away.

Ashitare sprung to his feet and hissed at her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to people who care!" She growled at him and bounded in to the trees.

Ashitare cursed silently to himself and watched her go.

ooOoo

The Baron and Kaoru were arguing. Again.

Muta and King Lune have had to listen to them argue for ages- on and off, on and off..

It was always about the same thing- whether they should be looking for Haru or be looking for the Black Cat.

"Haru is a strong willed girl- I should know! I've spent two years by her side and I know everything about her! Do -you-, the infamous Baron, know -everything- about her?" Kaoru smirked at the Baron. He certainly had an advantage here.

The Baron fought to contain his calm posture and shook his head. "I may not know every little detail about Haru, but I know that she is a girl, who is most likely looking for some kind of adventure- this, to her, will obviously seem like an adventure. We can't just assume that she'll go safe-"

"You're talking about her like you would a kid! She's not a kid, Baron!" Kaoru stared intensely at him, and the Baron began to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I am fully aware of the fact that she is.. a woman. Don't you worry." He coughed.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow and smirked, his gaze turning back to the path.

That's how most of the arguments ended- Kaoru gaining the upper hand, and pinning the Baron with accusations, and leaving him no choice but to answer slightly awkward answers that would leave him uncomfortable.

Lune rolled his eyes and turned around, putting on a fake smile.

"We're still on her trail. It appears that the Baron is correct- Haru has obviously taken this for granted and has gotten herself in to trouble with a cat known as Ashitare Fuji."

Baron narrowed his eyes slightly, and Kaoru almost burst with anger.

"Why does that scoundrel have to get involved in this?!" he hissed.

Lune and Baron were taken aback with Kaoru's outburst. He'd shown hints of knowledge about this mystery cat, but now he's just confirmed it.

"Kaoru.. You know this cat?"

"Know him? Yeah, I know him." Kaoru walked ahead of them, his fists clenched. "And if he's hurt Haru, I'll skin him alive."

The others exchanged glances and followed after Kaoru.

ooOoo

Haru had run a good distance before she had to stop and catch her breath.

She shouldn't have given up on athletics at school- even though she was a cat with increased stamina and durability, she was lacking fitness.

At least she still had her curves and body shape.

She leant back against a tree trunk and let out a sigh. Her cheek was still stinging from the slap, but she wasn't thinking about it.

She had ran away from her captor, and what surprised her the most was the fact that he didn't run after her.

Maybe he thought she'd be killed, alone in the dark woods?

He did say he'd rather her dead than alive and annoying.

Something knotted in her stomach and she forced herself to forget that. She was fine, she was safe. All she had to do was find the others and tell them what happened.

Sure, they won't be happy that she followed them from the palace, and probably scold her for being so foolish and careless, but she'd be safe.

A rustling came from a bush next to her and she leapt away from the tree, calling out.

"He-hello?" she stammered.

Another bush shook and she shuddered- immediately springing away from the tree and bushes, and off to some other place that was so unfamiliar to her.

She could just manage to make out a faint path, and followed it as fast as her limbs could take her.

There was a shaking light and the sound of talking- other cats!

Not caring whether they were friendly or not, she sped up and ran right at them.

And she collided with a slightly starstruck Kaoru.

"H.. Haru?" he blinked at her.

She let out a cry and nodded, hugging him tightly.

Coughing, he patted her back, but motioned for the others to help him- she was crushing the air out of him.

As she was gently pulled off of Kaoru, she immediately burst in to tears.

"Oh.. Haru.." the Baron enveloped her in a soothing hug, stroking her back gently.

She returned the hug tightly, letting out a shuddering sigh. "I shouldn't have followed you!" she said into his chest.

Kaoru looked at him with an empty expression.

"Haru, that was a very foolish thing to do. You should have stayed in the palace with Yuki and the kittens." Lune said softly, standing between Kaoru and the Baron.

Haru stepped away from him and nodded, looking at the ground. "I know. I'm sorry. But I have things to tell you.."

She went on to explain about Ashitare and his companions, and about what she could pick up on what they knew about the Black Cat's plans.

They all listened intently with serious expressions, and when she had finished, she was given a blanket and they set up camp to rest.

Haru sat with Kaoru throughout most of it, his arm draped over her shoulder protectively.

She enjoyed his warmth, and talked to him like nothing had happened. This made him smiled down at her and ruffled her long hair.

She smiled back at him- perhaps not following them wasn't such a bad idea after all. She had, in some way, turned out to be a help.

**ooOoo**

**There you goooo..**

**I know, the ending was r.u.b.b.i.s.h! But I didn't know any other way to end it, and Haru always seems to fall asleep when it's the end of her scenes, so I went with that instead :D**

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**

**Ciao!**


	10. The Encounter

**Chapter 10 – The Encounter**

**...**

**I'm.. I'm ALIVE!**

**( Totally didn't almost type 'ALICE' there. *shakes head* )**

**I am SO unbelievably sorry for not updating this fanfiction.**

**There's been a lot of procrastinating going on!**

**But this chapter was a PAIN to type out- but then I got myself back in to gear and came on here and read the reviews!**

**And here it is :D**

**So here it iiis.. Merry Christmas.. Everybody's having fun..- uhh..**

**Wrong season, sorry.**

**:D but yeah, here's the next chapter.**

**ooOoo**

The group had decided to return to the castle to avoid further catnapping and danger.

With the news that Haru had told them about the situation with her and the Black Cat, the group had a new sense of security.

By no means was Haru to be left alone or to be out of sight by any of them, so Kaoru had volunteered to be her natural body guard.

The Baron hadn't been all to happy about this, thus elected himself as a supervisor.

Muta didn't contribute to suggestions about her safety all day- he just sat on his own with his arms crossed, a permanent scowl upon his face.

"Hey, Baron?" Haru whispered. "What's wrong with Muta?"

The Baron looked at Haru, then at Muta. "I'm not too sure, Haru. Why don't you go and ask him?"

Haru nodded and made her way over to Muta.

"Hey, Muta." She said softly.

Muta jumped at the sound of her voice and spun around to face her.

"Haru."

"I was just wondering.." She began, slightly startled by his reaction. "Is there something that's bothering you?"

Muta stared at her for a minute or so, and then replied, "There's nothing bothering me right now apart from you, Haru."

Haru frowned slightly, "I'm sorry. I was just worried.."

"Don't be."

Muta turned around and folded his arms again. Haru tried not to feel hurt and walked away back to the Baron.

"Well, what did he say?" The Baron asked.

Haru made a face, "He said I was bothering him."

Baron sighed and put a hand to his temple. "He's not himself lately."

"Yes, I can tell.." Haru let out a sigh and turned away from him "We'll have to figure out what's wrong with him later."

The Baron raised an eyebrow as she turned. "Is there something bothering -you-, Miss Haru?"

She remained silent for a moment. She was running through all the possible ways of confronting him about what she was concerned about.

It wasn't really a big deal to her, seeing as its none of her business really, but she just wants everyone to get along.

"Why don't you trust Kaoru?" She said finally.

The Baron looked away from her, his gaze instantly finding Kaoru, who was idling around in front of a window.

Why didn't he trust Kaoru?

Why -should- he trust Kaoru?

"I do trust him. To some extent." He said, dragging his eyes away from him. "You shouldn't worry yourself about that though, Miss Haru."

He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder lightly and she turned her head to study him.

"Baron, I know you don't trust him. So you don't need to say you do. But he's not done anything wrong."

"Yet, Miss Haru, he hasn't done anything -yet-."

Haru turned round fully to face him.

"I've known Kaoru for two years. If he was evil, untrustworthy, or how ever you see him, then trust me, he wouldn't be living with me."

The Baron bowed his head slightly. "I trust your opinion, Miss Haru." He didn't say anything else after that, just turned back to watching Muta.

Haru let out a small sigh before walking away to see Kaoru.

"Hello, Haru." He said as she approached him.

"Hey, Kaoru." She smiled, and stood beside him. They both gazed out of the window for a while, before she said.

"What are you thinking about, Kaoru?"

Kaoru turned his head to her and looked at her for a moment.

"I'm thinking of why, seeing as its such a nice day, that you and me are both inside."

"Well, I'm not aloud out on my own..-"

"Which is why I suggest we go together."

Haru pondered it, her gaze shifting to the Baron behind them.

"Well. Alright then. As long as you stay with me- I don't want to worry the Baron."

Kaoru gave her a small smile before bowing deeply. "Of course, Milady. But I have to change before I leave. Meet me at the pond?"

Haru opened her mouth to say something, but Kaoru walked past her and to his room. Uncertain as to whether or not just wait for him here, or go outside to the pond alone.

Deciding she could take a risk - they were within palace boundaries, after all - she made her way out of the palace.

She slowly strolled along the path leading to the majestic pond, where a statue of the former Queen of the palace stood, her arms wide in welcome. Haru passed all kinds of coloured flowers, each with their own unique scent.

She ran her finger over the petal of an oversized daisy, a sprinkle of pollen drifting to the grass as the petal is shaken slightly.

Letting out a small sigh, she turned and stared at the fountain.

The water trickled out of the tips of the former Queen's claws and in to the base of the fountain. Haru twirled a paw in the water, glancing about.

Kaoru still wasn't there yet- she wondered how long he would be, and if she should really be out here on her own anyway.

A sleek, black paw slid around her waist and pulled her back in to someone tall just as her attention was drifting back to the water.

"Hello, my pretty." A husky voice said, close to her ear.

Haru went stiff as another paw snaked its way over her cheek. Her heart started to beat fast as she tried to snatch a glance at the person, male by his voice, who was holding her by turning her head ever so slightly.

The male let out a low chuckle, his forefinger and thumb gripping her chin and making her face the fountain.

"Now, now dear.. I can't have you see me."

Haru shuddered, a frightened look on her face. "W-who are you?" She managed.

Another laugh.

"I'm the one everyone's trying to keep me from.."

Her eyes widened slightly and she did the first thing that came to mind- she lifted her leg, bent her knee and shot her foot backwards.

The result wasn't quite what she was expecting- even though her aim was true and had hit the Black Cat in the groin, his grip on her tightened, and he flared his claws in his other paw and clenched her hair, pulling it backwards. Tears sprung to Haru's eyes as she bit her lip, trying not to cry out.

"Now.. -that- was very.. Uncalled for.." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Haru! HARU! Are you here?"

The cat swung around, taking her with him. It was Muta. He was looking for her.

"Hey uhm.. Haru? If you're here then I want to apologise for earlier.." Muta continued in a rather sober voice.

The Black Cat glanced around, and then leapt in to the nearest bush, his hold still strong on Haru. Once they were safely concealed, the Black Cat let go of her hair and began to rummage about in his cape.

".. I was just in a bad mood- I didn't get my catnap. You know how we get.."

Muta talked on, assuming that Haru was around but not wanting to see him. But really Haru was hoping for nothing more than for Muta to come round the corner and see them.

Finding what he was looking for, the Cat held his closed paw in front of Haru's teary eyes. When he showed her what he was holding, she let out a small whimper. It was a needle with a shining blue liquid in it.

"I can't have you blabbing to your 'friends'," he almost spat at the word 'friends', "that I was here.. So, my dear, I must.." He pulled her to her feet, flicked the needle on a branch twice, and then rammed it in to the dip between her collar bone.

Haru's body went rigid and her eyes rolled in to the back of her head. A few seconds later her body went limp. The Black Cat caught her before she fell, and placed her gently down- half on the path and half still in the bush, face down.

He brushed a few strands of hair from her face before enveloping himself in his cloak and disappearing.

".. So I was hoping that, you know, we could forget what I said and we'd go eat some catni- Haru..?"

Muta caught sight of Haru lying on the floor, his expression immediately filled with concern and caution.

He walked slowly over to her and laid a paw on her shoulder. He shook slightly. No response.

He rolled her over on to her back and almost fell back in shock.

Through her thick, brown fur, her veins were glowing a bright, luminous blue.

"GUARDS! GUARDS!" Muta bellowed frantically, "FETCH THE BARON! ANYONE!"

With Guards running everywhere in search of help, Muta sat Haru on his lap and shook his head, "Oh Haru.."

**ooOoo**

**Oooooh :3**

**There you go guys :D**

**Are you happy now? ARE YOU?**

**.. Oh well that's awesome :D**

**Please tell me what you think of it in reviews :3**

**Your reviews are what motivated me to continue, remember :D**

**(Oh, and I always forget to mention. You guys can always message me if there's anything you don't understand or for.. Anything, really! Don't be shy :D)**

**See y'all next week(hopefully)!**

**Ciaoo!**


	11. The Sigil

**Chapter 11 – The Sigil **

**Heyy!**

**So, turns out, I enjoyed finishing the last chapter.**

**Which is good! Means I will enjoy making the next ones and they'll be up on time! (If my maths exam coming up doesn't kill me first).**

**The reviews I got for the last chapter were great :D I'm overjoyed to know that you're all finding my story interesting, and that you want to read on!**

**So, thank you so much so far guys :D you're great!**

**Here's the next chapter!**

**ooOoo**

The infirmary in the palace was more crowded than usual. Dr Denai pouted distastefully at the group surrounding his top priority patient as he briskly strode over to them.

"King Lune," he said, bowing his head slightly. "How long are you and your friends planning on being here? I have work to do."

Lune gave the doctor an understanding smile. "Accept my apologies- we worry for Haru. We'll be out of your way in moments."

Dr Denai mumbled something under his breath and grabbed his pen from his clipboard, heading over to the hospital bed opposite them.

Lune's smile dropped as he turned back to look at Haru, who was lying, still unconscious, on the hospital bed.

Her eyes were open despite her not being awake, and they were glowing a bright blue- as were her veins, which were visible through her thick brown fur.

He had never seen anything like it before. The doctors and nurses in the infirmary were working full time, trying to understand the mysterious blue glow.

The fact that Muta had said that she was alone when he found her didn't give them any clues either- it could have been someone , or just some spontaneous condition- a condition that's never been noted in history, mind.

Lune let out a small sigh and his gaze wandered over her. His eyes landed on Kaoru, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed with his head in his hands.

It had been four hours since he'd discovered what had happened, and as soon as he had, he'd been distraught. He blamed himself for what happened, and wouldn't leave Haru's side.

"If only I'd been faster to meet her.. This wouldn't have happened." He kept saying, staring in to Haru's unseeing eyes.

Baron, of course, wasn't having any of his, what he calls, "attention seeking excuses". But he didn't express them openly, because excuses or not, the feline was clearly distressed.

After his talk with Haru about the trust issue, he's been thinking over his actions and opinions. He's definitely still not fond of Kaoru in anyway, but if he is to stay in Haru's good books, he may as well put the effort in to getting to know him before he properly judges him.

Baron is a reasonable cat, after all.

Someone stirred, and all eyes instantly fell on Haru.

Kaoru's grip on her hand tightened, making her skin go white from the pressure.

"Stop holding her so tight- you'll crush her hand!" Muta spat, though only in a whisper.

Kaoru didn't react as he stared intensely at Haru, who had donned a troubled expression, though remained unmoving.

"Haru?" He whispered ever so slightly.

Her facial expression tightened, and a slightly pained groan escaped her lips.

And then she was writhing.

Her arms whipped about- her hand coming free from Kaoru's protective hold, leaving him gaping in shock at what was happening.

As she flailed about, the glowing grew more intense, and she slowly began to rise off of the infirmary bed, its pearly white sheets falling from her.

Lune leapt forward and pulled Kaoru out of the way, just in case anything serious were to happen. Muta tried grabbing for her, but Baron, catching on the Lune's caution, put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

A small whimper came from Haru which tore the group's hearts. They could do nothing but watch Haru flail in what looked like pain.

After a few minutes, she was half way to the ceiling, then she stopped.

Her body stilled as a blue mist-like substance began to flow from her mouth, which was open wide in a silent scream.

Kaoru was now on his knees, his eyes welled up with helpless tears. Lune placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"Are we just going to sit here an-" Muta began to growl, but was cut off by a deep, husky chuckle, and not the welcoming kind.

"Patience.." the voice hissed at them, barely audible.

The group gave each other wide-eyed looks as the blue mist slowly turned red. It then began to bunch up at the dip between her collar bone- where the liquid had first entered her.

Painstakingly slowly, the mist-like substance began to form an unknown sigil. Lune narrowed his eyes, scanning his mind for any kind of recognition, but to no avail.

The substance began to shrink- still in the form of the sigil. And as it shrank, it also floated closer to her collar bone.

As soon as it made contact with her fur, a spine-shuddering sizzling sound could be heard, and Haru let out a pain-filled cry.

When her voice died down, the blue glow faltered and soon disappeared along with the mist. Her arms dropped to her side and gravity took it's hold on her body, and she plummeted down on to the bed.

The group warily took a few steps closer to her, unsure of whether or not the unexpected outburst was finished. Kaoru had obviously decided

that it was, and leapt forward, his hand finding hers as it resumed its protective hold.

"Miss Har-" Baron began, but in a hoarse voice. Clearing his throat, he tried again; "Miss Haru? Are you.. Awake?"

Haru's eyes sprung open and she sat bolt upright.

She glanced at each of them in turn, her eyes impossibly wide as she breathed heavily. Kaoru, who was still holding her hand, raised his other hand and smoothed her hair down gently. "Haru- lie back down, we don't want you hurting yourself."

Haru's shoulders drooped a bit, but her eyes remained wide. She kept silent as she slowly backed down on to the bare bed.

Lune scanned the area behind him- the only people there were the other unconscious patients- the doctor must haft left before the commotion.

"Muta- will you go and fetch Dr Denai? I have a feeling that Haru needs more medical attention."

Muta nodded mutely and made his way to the infirmary office, glancing back at Haru, who's eyes were drooping.

"Haru, stay with us a little longer. Please." Lune said, offering her a smile. Her weak attempt at returning a smile that was usually ever-plastered on to her face crushed his heart, and his fist clenched.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing other than a barely audible wheeze escaped her throat. She patted her neck with her paw, as if expecting to find the problem there with a confused look.

Her hand patted down to her chest and she winced, pulling her hand away immediately. Then, ever so carefully, she drew down the white infirmary gown that she was wearing just below her collar bone and her eyes widened once again.

A fresh, raw burn mark in the shape of the strange, unknown sigil was carved through her fur and it to her skin. A small whimper came from Haru as she pawed at it, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Oh my.." Baron whispered, leaning closer.

"Hey- I got the doctor!" Muta announced as he came marching forward with Dr Denai on his heels.

"Move aside, move asi- I said MOVE!" the Doctor hissed at Kaoru who had tried to remain at her side. He gave the girl a somewhat sympathetic smile before gently lifting her paw off the burn. As soon as his eyes saw the sigil, his eyes widened, almost like Haru's and he swallowed nervously.

"Oh dear, this is not good.. Not good -at all-.."

**ooOoo**

**Tihihihi.**

**Another cliff hanger.**

**Don't you just love me?**

**Sorry for this being uploaded a day late- major revising was taking place.**

**Wish me luck with the exam! xO!**

**Ciaoo!**


	12. Yo

**-Yo-**

**Yoooo.**

**I lied.**

**I'm sorry.**

**I ate the cookie.**

**I blamed it on the dog.**

**The dog was severely punished and ate me in my sleep.**

**So I am sorry.**

**...**

**You don't forgive me?**

**Alright then, fine.**

**I suppose I'll just have to sit back and..**

**Write another chapter?**

**WHAT?**

**Nooo- you serious?**

**Omg. You are.**

**...**

**I WOULD be writing another chapter right now, if I didn't keep accidentally deleting it.**

**Yes, it is a pain.**

**But I've decided to make up for it being so late and continuously deleted.**

**And for eating the cookie.**

**I'm sorry, dog.**

**Anyway.**

**Its half twelve at night. Don't judge me.**

**My idea was that I should do a re-cap of what's happened so far.**

**Bear with me.**

**Rawr.**

**ooOoo**

A young, beautiful and British blonde girl elegantly sat at the park bench on a warm summer's day. She flicked her golden locks away from her face and smiled with the grace of a thousand swans. Fluttering her long, dark eyelashes, she gazed happily with her majestic blue orbs at the sheet of paper in front of her. With her long, slender fingers, tipped with finely polished and in perfect condition nails, she slid a blue, fluffy pen from her periwinkle, simple yet amazing, dress pocket, and set it next to her piece of paper.

_**Oh, what a lovely day to be out in the fresh air, writing a pleasant re-cap of a story about a cat creation and a human girl. Such a lovely story it shall be. **_The blonde let out a sigh of pure content, and set pen to paper.

ooOoo

_So far in the story;_

_At the beginning of the story, we are met with a short prologue. A dark, unidentified cat figure wearing a cape that covers the majority of his body, met with another named Kaynen. They discuss a plan that is soon to be unfolded in the near future, and then the unidentified cat disappears._

_After that short prologue, Haru is awoken by her traditional alarm clock. She is greeted in the morning by her talking cat, Kaoru, who had been living with her ever since she came back from the Cat Kingdom, two years ago. Kaoru acted as her best friend, and only link to the Cat Kingdom, and a constant reminder that her life hadn't always been as boring as it was then._

_With the encouragement from Kaoru, Haru skipped a day off school and instead went for a walk through town with him. They intended to go to the beach, but were warded off by angry tourists._

_In the end, they ended up walking past the café that brought back memories of her first adventure to Haru. Kaoru ran off, forcing Haru to follow him, and he ended up leading her to the Cat Bureau, where she laughs at Muta falling off his chair._

_In the next chapter, we are introduced to the Baron, a cat creation who was itching for another client. He goes through a list of hobbies in his little green house, when he goes to stand beside the window, only to see the commotion._

_He stepped outside, and greeted Haru. He also met Kaoru, who had a very strong bond with Haru. Baron struggled to figure out whether or not he would want to be in his place._

_He invited them inside for tea, when Kaoru excused himself and went outside. A few minutes later, he cried out, and a tall black, caped cat was pinning him to the floor. The cat opened a portal and shoved Kaoru through, and then entered himself. Haru made the quickest decision of her life and followed him through, along with Muta and Baron._

_Next, Haru has a dream. She dreams about landing in a field full of cat tails, and that Baron almost kissed her. She was disappointed to find out that she was dreaming, and had in fact landed on top of Muta, and was squashing him._

_They made their way through the fields, and passed many happy and peaceful villages. They finally came to the Cat Palace, and were greeted by the new King Lune, and his wife, Queen Yuki. Haru was thrilled to see their three beautiful kittens, Kisa, Shigure and Hatashi. Lune and Baron discuss the problem about the black cat, and Kaoru's catnapping. There is a commotion outside the gates, and Kaoru is found trying to get in._

_He tells them that he barely managed to escape from the black cat, and Haru is overjoyed. She hugs him affectionately, making Baron get his first taste of jealousy._

_After Kaoru coming back safe and sound, Lune gives them all free access to the palace while he works on catching the Black Cat.  
Kaoru has been put under guard under the orders of Baron. Haru questions the Baron about why he ordered this on their way to dinner, and the Baron claims that it is for his own safety._

_After dinner Haru goes to her room and dreams of a white mansion and a nameless yet familiar cat, which results in her being pulled in to the mansion by some unknown figure. She wakes up to find Kaoru with her. He explains that he was worried so came in. Their conversation leads to Kaoru telling her that he'd once thought of coming to live in the Cat Kingdom, and how she changed his mind. The Baron, having followed Kaoru, listens from outside her door, and is caught by Muta who is heading for the kitchens. The Baron tells Muta how he suspects that Kaoru isn't what he makes out to be, and Muta dismisses it to being jealousy._

_Lune receives word of sightings of the Black Cat and rounds everyone up to discuss it. They agree that Lune, Baron, Muta and Kaoru go with the soldiers to find the Black Cat, and that Haru and Yuki stay there. Haru isn't happy with this plan and ends up following them as they head for the forest, having been given a mysterious note under her door. The others make camp at the outskirts of the forest, and Haru almost gets caught when stealing food from Kaoru. They make their way in to the forest eventually and Haru follows. A fully cloaked cat appears and whisks her away in to the forest._

_The cloaked cat soon reveals that he's an enemy of the Black Cat- and tells her that the Black Cat needs Haru for some kind of ritual, and he's come to stop it. He tells her that his name is Ashitare Fuji. With Lune, Baron, Kaoru and Muta, the Baron senses that Haru isn't following them any more. Kaoru asks him if he's noticed yet, which doesn't surprise the Baron. Back with Haru and Ashitare, Haru asks when she can go, and he makes it clear that he will kill her if she asks again. He makes a tent and throws her in to sleep._

_The Baron and Kaoru agree that something is up with Haru and tell King Lune. They decide to turn back and look for her.  
With Ashitare, they are on the move again. Ashitare tells her that he's taking her to a camp where his associates are. There they will discuss what to do with her. The Baron goes ahead and discovers the remains of the tent where Ashitare and Haru had stayed. He wonders what could have happened to her. Kaoru appears next to him and hisses slightly. He seems to know the person who took her, but Baron isn't sure how seeing as he's never been to the cat kingdom before, making him even more suspicious._

_Haru wakes to find the little camp empty, and sees that her hands and feet aren't shackled any more. She decides to go and look around the camp. She notices a little book outside the tent she slept in and has a look- but before she opens it, Ashitare appears and accuses her of being nosy and rude, and ends up back-hand slapping her. She hisses at him and yells at him, and then runs off in to the woods. Ashitare doesn't follow her. Haru is scared by something in the woods, and runs towards a light, and collides with Kaoru. The group are happy that she's safe and she tells them about what happened._

_The group had returned home, a new intention of protecting Haru from the Black Cat's intentions. Kaoru has been assigned as her natural body guard, and so they spend a lot of time together. The Baron is their supervisor, and him and Lune check up on them once in a while. Baron had told Lune about his uneasiness with Kaoru, and Lune understood. They notice that Muta has been acting strange lately, and Haru tries to approach him. He insults her and turns away. Haru walks back and talks with Baron about why he doesn't trust Kaoru. She gets annoyed with Baron's answer and walks off to talk to Kaoru, who asks her to take a stroll in the garden with her._

_She agrees, but ended up having to go on ahead on her own. She waits for him at a fountain, where the mysterious Black Cat appears and injects her with blue liquid, just as Muta came looking for her to apologies. He finds Haru unconscious on the floor, and calls for help._

_And here we come to an end so far with the last chapter- Haru is in the infirmary, being looked over by Baron, Muta, Lune and Kaoru. Kaoru feels guilty for leaving her on her own. Haru suddenly starts writhing in some form of fit as she levitates off of the bed and in to the air. Strange blue mist came from her and formed a sort of sigil, which then burned itself in to the space between her collar bone. She sunk back down in to her bed, and Doctor Denai rushed over to reveal the burn, ending with;_

_"Oh dear, this is not good.. Not good -at all-.."_

ooOoo

The blonde smiled gracefully once again as she leant back from the paper. She admired her work with those blue orbs of hers, and let out a small, tinkling laugh.

"I'm insane."

And she saved the chapter, posted it, shut down her laptop, got out her phone, and fangirled over Sebastian Michaelis.

The end.

**ooOoo**

**There you guys go!**

**I hope this can temporarily quench your thirst for another proper chapter.**

**It is VERY late now, so if I've made any mistake whatsoever in re-capping my own story, please let me know so I can edit it when my eyes aren't threatening to burn out. :D**

**Anyhooooo- byeeeeee. :***


	13. Hallelujah, Some Love

**Chapter 12 – Hallelujah, Some Love**

**Yo!**

**Asdfdlkwoiabbacfdgdf!**

**Its been A WHILE!**

**Sorry :D**

**I actually have no excuse this time x.x but my lovely, adoring and patient reviewers forgive me, right? *pouts***

**And! And! I managed to STOP deleting the chapter as I worked on it!**

**You suck, computers.**

**This chapter contains a Spanish word, which I am not too sure is correct. I gave it a go, and if its wrong, I'd be DELIGHTED if you would correct me xD**

**Anyway, here's the long awaited next chapter-**

**ooOoo**

"Doctor, are you going to tell us what this is?" Muta demanded.

They were still gathered around the trembling body of Haru. The Doctor was still examining the burn on Haru's collarbone. He'd definitely seen -this- before.

He let out a drawn-out sigh and let Haru's paw cover the burn once again. He turned around to the others and motioned for them to follow him.

He led them to a small box-room. In his mind he was going over the possible scenarios in which what he was about to tell them would end with.

Not all of them were pleasant.

"I want to ask- how many of you are willing to put their life on the line for Haru?"

The four fell silent from their muttering and stared at the Doctor questioningly.

Kaoru stepped forward, his fists clenched. "All of us would, Doctor- will you just tell us what that darn burn is!"

"Mister Yoshioka!" The Doctor exclaimed as the feline took a step closer to him. "I do -not- appreciate the violent tone-"

"What did you call him?" The Baron asked, his blood running cold.

"I called him Mister Yoshioka-"

"Why would you call him Mister 'Yoshioka' when they do not share the same last name?" He inquired coldly.

"I.." The Doctor began slowly. "I just.. Assumed that a married couple would use the same-"

"They are -not- married, Doctor Denai." The Baron hissed through his teeth. He shot a glare Kaoru's way, who had lost his violent intent and was smirking rather smugly.

The Doctor blushed furiously and he flustered with some papers on his clip board. "Right, my mistake- sorry." He coughed a few times and then regained his composure. He took in a deep breath before looking Kaoru straight in the eye.

"Miss Yoshioka is in serious dange-"

"We already know that." Muta growled, interrupting the Doctor once again. Today just wasn't his day.

"IF you would let me finish.. I was going to say that Miss Yoshioka is in serious danger.. She has currently been branded with the mark of an 'abrelatas'- the mark of the Opener."

He paused to look at their faces, which were all filled with confusion- all except Baron's. His eyes had gone wider a considerable amount and he was gripping his cane fiercely. "No.." He whispered, glaring at the Doctor, who fidgeted under the stare.

"I'm afraid so. It seems that he's taken the first step."

"Excuse me- would someone care to explain what this 'Opener' stuff means?" Muta asked, his expression gone from confusion to annoyance.

Denai took in a deep breath, and then let it out in a long sigh. "The Opener, my dear friends, is someone very, very important. For this mysterious person to have marked her, puts us all in serious danger."

Kaoru stopped smirking and stared at the Doctor, "Denai, how is this mark dangerous?"

"Basically.. When someone is branded with this mark, they are for ever the Opener to another dimension. There are many dimensions scattered around the universe- the dimension to which the Opener will be the cause of is up to the person who created the mark." Doctor Denai finished his explanation with regret in his voice. He was beginning to feel horrible about being the one who had to give them this news.

Baron raised a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Why Haru? She's innocent."

"The victim-" Denai faltered as he was shot glares and startled looks from the group, ".. The 'marked person' has to be innocent for it to work."

"Should we find a way of making her un...innocent?" Kaoru asked a little dumbly.

The Doctor's brow furrowed slightly, and he scribbled something down on his clip board as he replied. "Kaoru.. I'm not sure you understand in which concept I am using 'innocent'."

A sudden realisation fawned over Baron's features, and he quickly whispered in to Kaoru's ear what he meant with a light blush. Kaoru's mouth opened in protest, but no words came out. Regretting he had suggested anything, he glanced at Haru's shaking form through the door window before straightening his shoulders and looking away.

"I shall get my best scholars on to the case, my friends," Lune said. He had been quiet up until now throughout the whole conversation. "We cannot do anything without more information."

"Agreed," Baron stepped away from Kaoru and turned to face Lune. "I suggest we keep a closer eye on Haru from now on. Any thing remotely strange needs to be reported."

And with that, they parted ways. Lune went off to find a messenger, and look for his wife and kittens to tell them the news. He wasn't going to give all the details- he didn't want them all rushing in to the infirmary straight away. Muta had murmured something about being hungry and had made his way to the palace kitchen.

Watching each other warily, Baron and Kaoru approached Haru. She was still shaking, and beads of sweat were running through her fur. The nurse that was cleaning her up looked up from her duties, a cloth in hand, and smiled sadly at them.

"She should be conscious soon. You can ask her questions, but not too much. I'll be back later."

Baron nodded gratefully as Kaoru eagerly leapt to Haru's side, grabbing her paw and holding it gently.

"Do you think she'll remember what happened?"

Baron's eyes followed Kaoru's every movement, his ear twitching with some unknown emotion as he replies, "We can only hope."

He pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the infirmary bed, and watched Haru twitch in her sleep.

It was another half hour before she showed any signs consciousness, and when she finally did wake, it was with a start.

"Baron!" She gasped, sitting bolt upright and staring at the ceiling. Baron woke from him dose quickly, looking at Haru questioningly.

"Haru.. We're here."

Haru slowly turned to him, her eyes wide. Next thing he knew, she'd pulled her paw free from Kaoru's and flung her arms around Baron in a desperate hug. She sobbed quietly in to his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her shaking form, murmuring soothing words to her.

"Baron.." She whimpered. "I had the most terrible dream."

Baron tightened his hold around her, smoothing down her hair. "You're awake now, Haru. It was just a dream."

He looked up and was met with sharp, azure eyes, filled with jealousy. Baron sent him a stern gaze, and the jealousy receded slightly, only to be replaced by defiance. Kaoru got up from his seat and left the infirmary at a brisk pace, leaving Haru in Baron's arms.

Sniffling, Haru pulled away from the embrace. "Baron.. Where am I?"

"You are in the palace infirmary, Haru. There was quite a commotion." Baron answered a little warily. "Do you remember what happened?"

Haru paused for a moment, her brow furrowing as she searches her memory. "I.. All I remember is waiting at the fountain.. And then it all going black."

"You don't remember -anything-? Oh dear.. This means we can't get any evi-"

"Wait, Baron. I also woke up before just now, and I was in a field of grass. In front of me was a huge white mansion. It was so weird- it looked abandoned, but the grass around it was so well looked after."

Baron stared at her searchingly, "Haru. Are you sure this wasn't a dream?"

"A dream.. No, it was all pretty real- oh wait!" She let out a sudden gasp and rested a hand on her head. "I had a nightmare the first night we stayed in the palace.. Its so similar."

When he gestured for her to elaborate, she told him about the mansion, the peculiar figure and the darkness that surrounded her when she was pushed inside.

Baron studied her for several minutes, and she took the opportunity to return the favour and look at him properly herself. After a moment of admiring his face when he is concentrating, she could feel her eyelids drooping tiredly, so she decided to rest her head against his chest. "Baron..?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Haru?"

"Remember when.. When we had our first adventure?"

Baron smiled faintly, his chin resting on the top of her head. "Yes, I remember it vividly Haru."

"Do you remember when Toto saved us? And when he dropped us off on top of my old school?" she paused for a moment, Baron had gone silent and instead was stroking her hair gently.

She took a deep breath before continuing, "Well.. I told you that day that I had a crush on you. And you said you admired me for admitting it.." She pulled away from him so that she was sitting up right on his lap, his paw falling from her hair and to her shoulder instead. "Would you still admire me if I told you now that my feelings for you have advanced a little from just a crush..?" She glanced at his eyes briefly before looking away, her cheeks flushing slightly. Had she really just told him that?

Baron remained silent, his steady eyes never leaving her face as both his paws cupped her face carefully. And when he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle. "There has never been a time when I have not admired you, Haru. You continue to amaze me everyday, and after you said that, it makes me wonder if it is just admiration I feel for you."

Haru blinked, her eyes wide. _Does he.. _She was unable to finish asking herself that question, for Baron began to lean closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. Her heart beat raced, and she took a quiet, deep breath of his scent, their lips inches away.

"Baron.." she breathed, her paws quivering slightly on her lap.

_BANG_

"Baron von Gikkingen! King Lune requests your assistance immediately! There has been an attack on the south-east village!" A brown, stout guard stood panting at the doorway, his arms flailing with each word.

Baron closed his eyes for a brief moment, his paws dropping away from Haru's face. He slowly lifted Haru in to his arms and lay her down on to the infirmary bed. He brought the blanket up over her, and tucked it in at her slender sides. When he looked at her eyes again, she saw them flecked with annoyance and regret. He bent over her and placed a small, gentle kiss on her cheek- or rather, the side of her mouth.

"When I return.." he whispered to her. ".. we are going to continue that talk."

Haru blushed once again as he walked away from her, her paw raising to touch the place he kissed her. She smiled shyly before turning over in the bed, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips.

Baron left with the stout guard on his heels. Before he closed the infirmary doors, he glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was there. Once he had turned away, a tall figure stepped from the shadows.

"He's heading your way.." the figure spoke quietly in to a small device in its hands. ".. She will be delivered to you unharmed, Master.."

With a small click, the device was put away and the figure set its eyes on the doors.

**ooOoo**

**Yayyy! More kidnapping!**

**Yayyy! BaronxHaru action!**

**Boooo! Interruptions!**

**Anyway, I have no idea why it took me so long to write this chapter.**

**I was having fun with it, so there were many endings that I wrote, and I liked this one the best.**

**I KNOW its been god knows how long, but please forgive me. I've slapped myself many a times, but now that its the summer holidays for me, you can expect me to actually get some more out.**

**Thank you so so so so SO much for bearing with me, guys. It means alot.**

**And seeing as I haven't done this yet, I'd like to give a special thanks to all my reviewers for keeping me going!**

**Justrockzyxxx, Sindy Sugar, Catsafari, TheEpcWn7, , phantomoftheknight17, Ib Garcia, VoodooCat and all my lovely Guest Reviewers.**

**Ai luff yhoo guyz.**

**(I made this sound like I'd finished the fanfic, but DON'T worry, there is A LOT more to come.)**

**:D**

**Ciaaoooo**


	14. Da Boat

**Chapter 13 – Da Boat**

**Oh, oh, oh!**

**I'm ON TIME!**

**You know why?**

**I felt like I needed to treat you guys, so I set out and wrote three chapters right after I posted the previous one.**

**NOW LOVE ME! *cackles***

**.. *chokes on pot noodles***

**\( x _ x )/**

**ooOoo**

Haru was soundly asleep in a matter of minutes. The cloaked figure took the damp cloth away from her mouth, and lifted his arm which had been restraining her. The cat was wearing a brown balaclava, accompanied with a dark brown cloak which hung from its shoulders. Underneath the cloak, it was wearing grey leather trousers and a white blouse, covered by a jerkin. By the looks of its physique, the cat was male.

Moving quickly, the cat gathered Haru in to his arms, grabbing the bed covers as well, and made his way over to the nearest window. He opened the window wide and looked down. They were about two floors up- shouldn't be hard to jump.

The cat crouched down low, preparing his muscles, and leapt. They flew through the air for a brief moment, before gravity began taking its toll and they sped to the ground. He bent his knees and landed with one foot and hand touching the ground, along with his knee in a crouching position.

Checking if Haru was still asleep, he straightened up and began walking through the gardens, carrying her bridal style. He rounded a corner and came face-to-face with the large statue of the old Cat Queen. He glanced about before stepping behind a bush- the same one Haru had been injected in. Scuffing his feet at the loose dirt for a minute, he soon hit hard wood. He shifted Haru in his arms so that she was lying limp in one arm and over his shoulder. He then leant down and opened the wooden hatch.

Underneath was what looked like a river, with a small boat bobbing up and down right underneath them. Dangling down from the top of the hatch were step ladders. Rotating himself, he began to carefully climb down them, grunting every now again under the extra weight. On the last few steps, he jumped from the ladder and landed firmly in the middle of the boat.

There was a small cabin with a mahogany door. He entered and laid Haru down on the thin bed. He reached underneath the bed and pulled out a large bag, which was filled to the brim with supplies. He sifted through it, and brought out a woollen blanket and placed it over her unconscious form.

Once he was satisfied that she would wake up warm, he went out on to the narrow deck and stomped his feet.

"Get up, you lazy so-and-sos. I've got her- now let's go before the Master skins you alive for being a day late."

Scrambling of feet sounded the awakening of three other cats. Another wooden hatch opened up and the three climbed out. They were all blonde cats- triplets.

"There are other ways of wakin' us, y'know.." one of them grumbled, his paw scratching the back of his neck.

"Yes, Mort, but they are not as half as fun as my original one." He informed the blonde. He turned to the other cats and pointed to the four oars on the boat. "Now get rowing. If we move now, we should be back in four days, tops."

Grumbling, the three blonde cats sat at their places with the oars, and dipped them in to the water. The remaining cat shook off his cloak, revealing brown tabby arms, and threw it to the side. Rolling his blouse sleeves up a little more, he sat at the remaining oar. And they set off. The tabby cat kept a steady rhythm for them to follow.

_You can't get away this time, Haru,_ the tabby thought with a sly smirk.

ooOoo

Baron stepped over the fallen body, a grim expression on his face. Tucking his cane under his right arm, he took off his dirtied gloves and shoved them in to his trouser pocket. A few paces in front of him stood Lune- he was wearing his mail armour which clinked with every step.

"How many casualties?" He asked a cat soldier grimly.

"Two deaths sir, but only three seriously injured."

Lune let out a long, low sigh as his eyes ran over the small stretch of land, littered with bodies. The attack had been a surprise- he wasn't aware of any rebellion. He had made sure that his father's reign had ended without any consequences, though it seems many still tested his taking of the crown. But why?

"Why.." He asked aloud, his eyes on the ground. A light hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to see two green, sympathy filled orbs.

"We cannot find out by just standing here, Lune. We must get back.."

Lune nodded slightly, his lips drawn in a straight line as he began to trudge back across the field, hollering for the remaining soldiers to follow.

The group of soldiers ended up walking in a straight line behind Baron and Lune, their weapons still drawn as if expecting another attack.

Baron sent Lune a pointed stare, his eyebrow raised. Lune responded with a nonchalant shrug, his eyes set on the path ahead.

When they reached the palace, there was quite a commotion.

"Sol- SOL!" Lune yelled at an old grey cat that had run past them. The grey turned around and jogged back to them, his eyes wide.

"Sol.. What's going on?"

"Haru, you Majesty.. She's uhm.."

"Haru? Is she okay? Spit it out!" Baron jumped in, staring intently at him.

"Well, you see, once you left.. We sent someone to check on her and urh.." The grey cat raised his shoulders slightly and took a step back, "Well.. She wasn't there. We thought that she had maybe woken properly and went for a walk, but.. We've looked ever where, Majesty. We can't find her."

Baron and Lune were silent for a moment, and the gathered soldiers behind them sent each other nervous glances.

Baron let out a sudden yell of frustration, taking off in the direction of the infirmary. He pushed many aside as he took two steps at a time, and soon enough he reached the large doors. Storming over to Haru's empty bed, he began breathing heavily.

No..

She was meant to be here. They were meant to talk. They'd.. They'd almost kissed for the first time. She was there. Right -there- before he left. Why had he left?

He knew why he had left- and he wasn't sorry that he did, but he couldn't help but blame himself. Now he knew how Kaoru felt-

Kaoru. He was in the castle at the moment. Surely he knows something? Unless..

"Wait.." he muttered.

"Baron-?"

"Sol, where is Kaoru?" Baron asked quietly.

"S-sir?"

"Where is Kaoru? Tabby cat? Always with Haru?" Baron asked more insistently.

"I- Sir, I haven't seen him today."

Drat.

"Quick- go. Ask around. Ask people when was the last time they saw him. Quickly!"

Sol nodded frantically and sped from the room. Lune entered calmly, watching the old grey cat run past him. He looked with concern towards his friend. This is the second time Haru has gone missing, and he can guess that this time it had a bigger effect on him. Baron never lost his composure like that.

He took slow steps towards him as to not make himself fully recognised.

"Baron.." He spoke in a soft tone.

Baron turned his head slightly, his eyes closed.

"We'll find her. Just like last time."

He didn't react to that, he just turned his head again and clenched his fists.

Half an hour later, Sol came back with a report. He had been told that the last time anyone and who had seen him was the cook, and it was an hour before Haru had disappeared. He'd requested a large amount of food, and had been carrying a large bag with him at the time.

Baron took all this in with a blank expression- his mind was reeling with possibilities. Now he was certain that Kaoru was more than what he wanted them to think he was.

Stealing his Haru was something he could not stand for- not after that brief moment they had shared.

**ooOoo**

**Oh noes!**

**Bloodshed in TCR2!**

**The innocence is gone!**

**Though I suppose it was never there, seeing as this fic is rated T!**

**I hope you guys liked it, and I'm pretty chuffed with myself that I got it up in time.**

**Naughty Kaoru..**

**I'm going to be going to Blackpool for a couple of days on Tuesday, and then heading off to England AGAIN on Sunday, so I'll probably have to upload on the Saturday. NOT that you guys can complain. Its a day early, after all!**

**If I survive the Pepsi Max, that's a plus. ;)**

**Ciaoo!**


	15. Catnapped AGAIN

**Chapter 14 – Catnapped AGAIN**

**'Sup.**

**I know I said I was going to upload this last Saturday, but things just got hectic, what with all the travelling and relatives. Plus, getting my hands on some internet around here is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.**

**Without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

**ooOoo**

Haru woke up feeling dizzy and out of place. Sitting up slowly in bed, she looked around with half-lidden eyes. She was in a small cabin, with some form of animal skins hanging on the walls. Kind of reminded her of cavemen. She had a strange smell in her nose, and no matter how much she made herself sneeze, it just wouldn't go away.

The door to the small cabin opened slowly, and Haru froze in her bed mid-sneeze.

"Haru?" a soft voice called.

She frowned. Where the heck was she?

The door opened fully when the voice got no reply. There stood a tall tabby cat, dressed in an odd assortment of cloth. He strode towards her and sat on the edge of her bed. He took out a blood red powder from his pocket, and before she could do anything, he blew it in to her face. She breathed it in involuntarily, her eyes twitching with irritation.

Suddenly, Haru spasmed. Her arms flew up and almost smacked him upside the head as her body fell back, her muscles contorting.

The tabby cat watched her impassively, his hand reaching to take a hold of hers as the symbol on her collar bone began to glow a luminous blue.

A few minutes passed and a low sigh echoed across the room that belonged to neither Haru nor the tabby.

Silence settled, and he stared down at Haru still. He took out a small piece of cloth and began to brush away the excess dust, his other hand still gripping hers tightly. After he was satisfied that there was no more dust to be seen, he returned it to his pocket.

With his gloved paw he wiped away the beads of sweat lining Haru's forehead. He lent forward and placed a small, tentative kiss on to her forehead.

"The pain will be over soon," he whispered in to her ear before standing up, brushing himself off, and leaving the cabin.

ooOoo

Once again, Haru woke up feeling dizzy. She felt a burning sensation, and her paw immediately found the source. Pulling the hem of her gown down a little, she noted that the symbol was throbbing and glowing blue. She frowned. She hadn't seen it act like this before.

She let the very tip of her claw trace to pattern of the symbol thoughtfully before letting out a sigh. A thought hit her- who was that cat?

All she remembered was waking up in this cabin, and the tabby cat saying her name and sitting on her bed. Had he drugged her? Knocked her unconscious? Should she not be awake?

Her bare feet touched the freezing cabin floor, sending a shiver through her body. She picked up the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around herself.

Ignoring her cold feet, she shuffled about the room. She stumbled and tripped over something and fell face first on to the floor.

"Ouhh.." She groaned, sitting herself up. "What the..?" Lying there with its contents half out, was a sack filled with supplies. She perked a brow and reached for it, pulling it closer to her. Were they really that stupid to leave this here with their prisoner? Haru could see a large amount of food, varying from apples to small chunks of fish. There were even a few blankets in there.

An idea struck her and she looked slyly to the window next to her bed. Standing up again, she waddled over to it and looked out. It was pretty dark, and the light from the deck glowed off of what looked like cave walls. She felt around the edges of the window and eventually found the latch. It took a lot of her energy to open it: it obviously hadn't been used in quite a while.

Grinning, she waddled back over to the sack and hoisted it up over her shoulder. She was about to lob it out the window, when she realized that this sack of supplies would be the thing keeping her alive.

Grumbling to herself and at her stupidity, she slumped down on to the bed with the sack next to her.

Suddenly, the boat lurched and salty water sprayed in through the open window, drenching Haru from head to foot. It took her a moment to get over her initial shock of having freezing cold water sprayed over her. She sprung to her feet and hopped to the door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear sounds of struggle, and steel clashing against steel.

Haru's eyes widened and she opened the door a crack to peek out. Outside on the deck, three blonde cats were frantically attacking several grey, leather cladded cats. The blonde ones didn't seem to be doing very well._I should do something..._ she thought to herself.

And just as she was about to step out in to the open, her view was blocked by a tall figure with a familiar scent. It smelt of ash wood and the forest. Gasping, her eyes darted up to the face and scowled.

Ashitare.

He flashed her a mischevous grin before pushing the door open and stepping in. "I told you I wouldn't let the Black Cat continue with his plans."

Without letting her say anything, he tied a cloth around her mouth and swept her up over his shoulder. He leapt out of the cabin and signalled for his men to fall back, and then pounced from the boat.

Letting out a muffled scream, Haru stared at the darkness they were falling in to. She clung to Ashitare tightly, shaking with fear. She could almost feel him smirking and had the sudden urge to thwack him over the head with a fish, but the thought of the looming blackness soon washed over it and her fear returned.

After what seemed like for ever, they hit hard ground. Haru had expected a noise like 'splat' as Ashitare's body crippled against the cold, hard ground from the drop, but no, he made no more than a 'thud' and was perfectly fine. Haru was slightly disappointed.

Once he stood back up properly, though, he continued on to run at a fast, steady pace, with his men following behind. Haru, knowing that asking questions would get her no where, remained silent and grumpy. This was the third time she'd been kidnapped now, and she wasn't liking it any better each time.

Certainly not when the same guy kidnaps her twice!

**ooOoo**

**Whew.**

**Well, I hope it wasn't too short, I didn't have a lot of time for this one.**

**Have you ever realized that when you give yourself a deadline, writing it makes it a whole lot harder?**

**I did.**

**But I'm not going to change it, don't worry. This one-week-skip was a one off due to certain reasons.**

**Byee for now, my lovely readers!**

**Ciaoo.**


	16. Baron's Fanclub

**Chapter 15 – Baron's Fanclub**

**Wheeww, I'm getting good at uploading these on time :D**

**I'm a bit busy this weekend, so I'm going to upload this one now :3**

**Proud of me?**

**I sure damn hope so! I paused my fangirling over many anime for this chapter! (I was getting angry at the constant bufferings anyway...)**

**ooOoo**

Haru was cold, annoyed and grumpy. She was sat in the middle of a stone cave, her ankles tied and her mouth gagged. She set her glare, cold enough to cut steel, directly on one of Ashitare's hooded accomplices as he wandered about, setting up a camp fire. The hooded cat sweatdropped when he looked over to her, and nudged Ashitare with his elbow.

"Sir, she's doing it again," he said nervously.

Ashitare let out a sigh and called out to Haru, "If you keep glaring at my men, than I'm afraid I'll have to blindfold you as well."

Haru scowled and shifted her glare on to him, murmuring something in to the cloth around her mouth that sounded a lot like, "Bite me."

"Shall I take this weary blow for you?" Ashitare mocked his hooded friend, who waved a hand at him and got back to setting up the camp fire. Ashitare meandered over to Haru and sat down next to her with his legs crossed. Haru never took her eyes from him, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know, they say that the longer you glare, the more blind you become to the obvious," he said knowingly.

Haru tried to say something, but it was muffled by the gag. She began to chew on the gag, a frown set on her forehead as she turned away from him, her hands, which were also tied, clenched.

"You should be thanking me, really," he continued. "I saved you a whole world of pain."

No response, other than a meaningful gesture towards her bound ankles and wrists.

"Oh, trust me- that's nothing compared to what you _would _have had to have gone through. But you won't have to, because _I_ saved your sorry little tail."

He frowned at her unresponsive attitude and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcefully turning her around so that she was looking at him with those cold eyes. "I said this before- I don't care what I have to do to you if it means stopping the Black Cat's plans. Don't think that you giving me the silent treatment is going to affect me. I've tortured people, and I will kill you if necessary."

Haru only rolled her eyes, giving him a look that clearly said _'Heard it all before'._

Ashitare's eye twitched slightly in annoyance, his grip on her shoulders tightening. "Now, listen here you. I hold your life in my hands, and you go and give me attitude? I don't think that's how you should treat me."

Haru went to say something again, but cut herself short. Instead, she went with intensifying her glare tenfold. Ashitare blanched, shaking her by the shoulders. "Stop doing that!"

Haru perked a brow and gestured to the gag with a flicker of her eyes. Letting out an irritated sigh, Ashitare swiftly untied the cloth and let it slip to the floor.

As soon as her mouth was free, she scowled. "How dare you gag a woman! It was bad enough the first time, let alone a second time! Do you know how many times I've been catnapped now? Three! THREE! Do you know how distressing it is to be catnapped THREE TIMES? Do you? DO YOU?!" she screeched at him. Ashitare was shocked in to silence by the volume of her voice.

_How the heck can someone so small and petite be so god dammed loud?!_ He thought nervously to himself.

"Disgusting behaviour from every single person I meet outside the palace! Baron would never _ever_ think of treating me like tha-"

"Haru, shut up," Ashitare said blandly. "You're just drawing attention to yourself."

"Well," Haru's anger heightened, and she spoke with a dangerously low tone. "If _you_ had just been marked, put through immense pain, knocked out, catnapped, knocked out due to pain, and then catnapped again, I'm pretty sure _you _would be angry as well."

She yanked herself from his grip and shuffled away from him, her expression turning impassive as she sits completely still, staring at the camp fire.

Ashitare stared at her for a while, a certain amount of thoughts running through his mind. After a while, he stood up and walked off somewhere to converse with his soldiers.

ooOoo

Baron paced the hall continuously, awaiting the detective's opinion on the disappearance. Right now, his suspicion was firmly set on Kaoru. It might just be his natural instinct to not trust this cat for certain reasons, or it might be that his hunch is correct.

It had been hours since Haru had disappeared, and the fact that Lune was lost on the situation as well was not doing anything for his nerves. The wave of emotions currently surging through him at the moment remained concealed inside himself- after his minor explosion earlier, he could not let himself lose his composure like that again. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

Soft, urgent foot steps brought him out of his reverie as the blue clad detective walked briskly up to him. "Baron? I have something to report."

Baron gestured for him to elaborate, his concentration fixed on to him.

"Well, we searched the infirmary, and the areas all around. Through vigorously dusting for finger prints, we found nothing- though we found reoccurring foot prints that led out of the window that looks out to the water fountain garden," the detective pushed his spectacle closer to his eye as he examined a piece of paper, which was most likely just for show. "I suggest we examine that area for any signs of escape."

Baron bowed gracefully to the detective, "Thank you so much for your help so far." He turned on the spot and looked at Lune, who nodded and followed him out of the palace and to the garden. There was already a group of detective trainees scanning the area with magnifying glasses out.

"Move out of the way, please," Baron asked one of the trainees politely. The trainee sent him a blank look and continued searching the ground mindlessly.

"Detective, it seems one of your trainees has no manners towards those with a title," Lune frowned at the detective who had just ran to catch up to them.

"Johnson!" the detective barked **(ironic)** at the student, who simply looked up at him with empty eyes. "Eh-eh... D-don't mind him, my Lord. He's... a special case." he said nervously.

Lune perked a brow and exchanged a glance with Baron, who merely shrugged and moved on to inspect the area. The detective sprinkled a silver dust over the area and ordered his trainees to step back so it could get to work. After about five minutes, red outlines of footprints could be faintly seen on the path. They led from the bottom of the window and traced a trail all the way round the fountain, as if the captor had been searching for something. They stopped at the edge of a bush, and disappeared.

"There!" Baron exclaimed, walking towards the bush. He parted the branches and frowned. _Who ever took her didn't take care to clean up after himself..._

The dirt was still pushed away from the wooden hatch that lay beneath it. The detective began jumping about excitably, calling to all of his trainees to gather round.

"Look here, students! The Baron is truly one of us! See how the footsteps end here? The Baron knew to inspect the bush here, and look! He found the next clue."

Baron struggled to contain his annoyance as he brushed the rest of the dirt away with his gloved paw. The handle was hard to get at, and took a few heaves from the Baron to get open. _So... he tried sticking it shut._

Squinting his eyes against the darkness below, he could make out a rope ladder. He looked over his shoulder at Lune. "Lune, this is where Haru was taken."

Lune stepped closer to get a look and frowned. "I can hear water. I never knew of a running river system under my palace. But it looks like its been there ever since..."

"Who was it that had this garden designed?"

"An old man who died a few months ago. I had it redecorated once I took over my father's reign. I didn't want terrible memories coming back."

Baron paused for a moment, his fingers tapping his chin thoughtfully as he stared down in to the space below them. "If he's dead then we cannot question him, but I'm assuming this bush was placed here to cover it up- not to point out the obvious or anything but..."

"Don't worry, I know where you're coming from. Drat!" Lune sighed, his paw to his forehead. "This situation just escalates as the days go by, and I'm sure we're far from figuring much out."

"KING LUNE, SIR!"

They all turned around to see a sweating soldier run up to them. "Sir... Another.. Attack..."

Lune's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Borders of the forest, Sir. A rebel group, not many but the villagers near by cannot handle and sent for help."

"We should get moving immediately."

"Oh! Students! Listen in!" the detective motioned with a flourish. "The King is off to save the village from mysterious rebel attacks that have not been heard of until the raid earlier! Will they ever get a rest?"

The students chattered excitedly as if watching a fairy tale **(Funny, because I'm currently watching Fairy Tail x'3)**, causing Baron and Lune to roll their eyes in disbelief.

"Lune, I request your consent to follow this river in search of Haru." Baron turned his attention to Lune, who let out a low sigh before nodding.

"Very well, but take a few soldiers with you. If it was a group, then its best to be prepared."

Baron nodded slightly, motioning for the few guards that were wandering about on duty. "Go, get lighter clothes and armour. Weapons too- and torches. We leave as soon as possible."

The soldiers ran off to follow orders as Lune rallied his forces and prepared to set out.

_Hectic, as always..._

**ooOoo**

**There you go buddies :3**

**Hope you enjoy the early update!**

**See you until next week!**

**Ciaoo!**


	17. The Base

**Wheeeeee...**

**I uploaded this chapter a little early as well because... I just did, okay? I made it a filler chapter, as well. It's not got anything really important in it, I've just needed a break from thinking too much because you guys know how much that can hurt your brain O-o**

**IMPORTANT LESSON FROM JESS THE NUGGET**

**Lesson Number One: Never Think Too Hard, It's Dangerous.**

**You know, I wanted to see which lovely people favourited/followed this story, and as I was adoring all the names and secretly confessing my unconditional-love-with-no-strings-attached to them all, I got distracted with 9gag and Misha Collins. So, after a bit I suddenly realized that I should probably get back to writing this chapter, so I clicked on the window and I looked at the list and... I seriously thought that someone had hacked in and changed all the names to my chapters -_- Or Shan had, by some miracle. Yeah, you guys are my chapters.**

**ANYWAY... An awful lot is going on in my ohsosocial life at the moment, and it's not all purdy, so if the chapter after this is a few days late, DO NOT be surprised. Okay? :D Even if it is, the one after THAT will still be posted on time.**

**ooOoo**

"How far does this tunnel go, Baron?" a deep voice bounced off of the jagged walls of the caves, echoing back to the small group that were slowly making their blind way to some unknown destination. A stout soldier stared at the back of the ginger cat statue's head, an uncertain frown etched on to his forehead.

The words had indeed reached Baron, but his mind did not process them. His mind was focused on tracking Haru down and returning her to safety. It was bad enough that she could not return to her home world, but to be catnapped more than once? Only the gods know what she's going through, and it was killing Baron inside. He knew he was getting overly attached, but he just couldn't lose the person who made him realize that it was okay to like someone who's a bit different from you.

He clenched his paw around the base of his case, a dark expression etched on to his features as he continued walking at a steady pace. Even if it took him days, he would find her. He did not need to eat or drink, and he never got tired. These quirks benefited him immensely, so he had no worries about having to stop. Then he remembered the small group of soldiers he had taken along under the demand of Lune. He knew that Lune had meant it for the best, but they were only holding him back. They had packed a lot of supplies, and the bags weighed them down, resulting in a slower pace, which meant they would not be able to catch up with whomever or whatever had Haru.

A rough hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and stopping him in his steps. "Baron?" a worried face stared at him, and Baron offered him a fake smile.

"I'm sorry. My thoughts were elsewhere," he tipped his hand slightly and removed the hand from his shoulder. He returned around again and swiftly walked on.

The cat who had spoken to him sent an uneasy glance over his shoulder at his colleagues before following the Baron.

**ooOoo**

Ashitare gave Haru an uneasy glance as he left her with a troop of Sainu's 'most trusted' men, each equipped with a pole arm tipped with a sharp, steel tip. It's not that he didn't trust the men, he just didn't trust Sainu. He'd risen to power in their rebellion far too quickly for it all to be legal and clean, and that made him suspicious.

The said cat was currently leading him through the maze if tents to the main tent. It had taken them half an hour to walk through all the other, smaller tents to get to there, and after their recent, long journey, Ashitare's paws were beginning to tire and his mind went blank with exhaustion no matter how hard he tried to pay attention. That, and the fact that when ever Sainu started talking, his words just went through one ear and out the other.

His ears drooped ever so slightly in annoyance as he was told to wait outside the curtains of a room. The curtain had the same symbol on it as the tent's roof- a sapphire phoenix. Sainu gave him a demeaning glance before sweeping aside the curtains and striding inside. Two cats with pole arms took his place next to Ashitare, standing still with blank expressions.

Closing his eyes, Ashitare swivelled his ears towards the curtains in an attempt to hear what was going on inside. A few muffled voices indicated that Sainu was conversing with someone, deliberately being quiet. He couldn't distinguish who the other voice was, much to his own irritation. When Ashitare attempted step closer to the curtain, the two cats shadowed his moves and blocked his way. Growling, he crossed his arms across his chest and started sulking.

He gets it from his mother's side.

**ooOoo**

"Stupid, stupid buffoon..." Haru muttered, pacing up and down outside a small tent. She'd been welcomed inside for dinner, and as soon as she sat down, the old couple shoved their son in her face, proposing that they marry! Preposterous! "Why do these things keep happening to me?!" she raised her head and cried out in frustration. "Catnapping, forced marriage, LUNATICS! I never knew cats could be so... so... _forward!_"

Of course, though, she didn't mind the... _forward_attitude of a certain feline individual. A light blush dusted her furry cheeks as she brought up an image of Baron smiling at her in her head. Swooning, she spun around to stare at the fire. _Who knew I could be so girly? _she sighed mentally, clasping her hands together behind her back. It was all so very unfair. That moment that she had shared with the Baron was the only thing that was keeping her from exploding. She knew he'd come and rescue her, just like he always does. Or promised to do. Either way, she was certain he wouldn't let her down.

Now that she thought about it, she felt selfish. Since she stepped through that portal after Kaoru, she'd been nothing but a nuisance.

"Speaking of nuisances..." she muttered, chancing a glance towards the group of armed cats that had been left with her. "How am I going to give straight-faces over there the slip?" Haru stroked an imaginary beard thoughtfully, eyeing up her enemy with fake interest. Even if she did manage to coming up with a devilishly good plan, she'd never be able to pull it off. In countless situations, her klutzy side has shown its face, much to her dismay. Though, maybe if she managed to pull together a few cats from the mini-camps around... _No, that's a bad idea. They're all here as a rebellion, right? Why would they rebel against... the rebellion? That's just stupid, stop being stupid Haru!_she scolded herself and delved in to the depths of her confusing little mind.

A slimy paw slithered up her back and over her shoulder, latching on to her top with it's claws. "H-hello..." a shaky, and... creepy voice whispered in to her ear.

Haru shrieked, turned her head to see the face of the complete weirdo-son that the old couple had thrown at her, and flailed her arms, effectively smacking him square in the face. As he flew backwards, his mouth hanging open with a slither of drool sliding down the side of his chin, Haru spun around and yelled;

"FOR THE LAST TIME- STOP TOUCHING ME!"

**ooOoo**

**Heh, I know it's a bit short, but who cares... Haru almost got drooled on.**

**I realized that my... description skills have turned to dust (what little there was of it, anyway) and I apologize, but I can't do anything about it because my brain is refusing to work- remember the lesson, kids. Serious thinking can lead to brain damage.**

**I'm also wanting to replace my cover photo for this fic with a bit of art, so if any of you guys know a person who does fan art, or you yourself does them, please contact me- I'M BEGGING YHOOOO. Dooon't go wasting your emoooootions... Laaay all your love on m- yeah, please. c':**

**Mama mia...**

**Ciao!**


	18. Contains Tents And Curtains

**Wheeeeee...**

**I uploaded this chapter a little early as well because... I just did, okay? I made it a filler chapter, as well. It's not got anything really important in it, I've just needed a break from thinking too much because you guys know how much that can hurt your brain O-o**

**IMPORTANT LESSON FROM JESS THE NUGGET**

**Lesson Number One: Never Think Too Hard, It's Dangerous.**

**You know, I wanted to see which lovely people favourited/followed this story, and as I was adoring all the names and secretly confessing my unconditional-love-with-no-strings-attached to them all, I got distracted with 9gag and Misha Collins. So, after a bit I suddenly realized that I should probably get back to writing this chapter, so I clicked on the window and I looked at the list and... I seriously thought that someone had hacked in and changed all the names to my chapters -_- Or Shan had, by some miracle. Yeah, you guys are my chapters.**

**ANYWAY... An awful lot is going on in my ohsosocial life at the moment, and it's not all purdy, so if the chapter after this is a few days late, DO NOT be surprised. Okay? :D Even if it is, the one after THAT will still be posted on time.**

**ooOoo**

"How far does this tunnel go, Baron?" a deep voice bounced off of the jagged walls of the caves, echoing back to the small group that were slowly making their blind way to some unknown destination. A stout soldier stared at the back of the ginger cat statue's head, an uncertain frown etched on to his forehead.

The words had indeed reached Baron, but his mind did not process them. His mind was focused on tracking Haru down and returning her to safety. It was bad enough that she could not return to her home world, but to be catnapped more than once? Only the gods know what she's going through, and it was killing Baron inside. He knew he was getting overly attached, but he just couldn't lose the person who made him realize that it was okay to like someone who's a bit different from you.

He clenched his paw around the base of his case, a dark expression etched on to his features as he continued walking at a steady pace. Even if it took him days, he would find her. He did not need to eat or drink, and he never got tired. These quirks benefited him immensely, so he had no worries about having to stop. Then he remembered the small group of soldiers he had taken along under the demand of Lune. He knew that Lune had meant it for the best, but they were only holding him back. They had packed a lot of supplies, and the bags weighed them down, resulting in a slower pace, which meant they would not be able to catch up with whomever or whatever had Haru.

A rough hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and stopping him in his steps. "Baron?" a worried face stared at him, and Baron offered him a fake smile.

"I'm sorry. My thoughts were elsewhere," he tipped his hand slightly and removed the hand from his shoulder. He returned around again and swiftly walked on.

The cat who had spoken to him sent an uneasy glance over his shoulder at his colleagues before following the Baron.

**ooOoo**

Akeboshi gave Haru an uneasy glance as he left her with a troop of Sainu's 'most trusted' men, each equipped with a pole arm tipped with a sharp, steel tip. It's not that he didn't trust the men, he just didn't trust Sainu. He'd risen to power in their rebellion far too quickly for it all to be legal and clean, and that made him suspicious.

The said cat was currently leading him through the maze if tents to the main tent. It had taken them half an hour to walk through all the other, smaller tents to get to there, and after their recent, long journey, Akeboshi's paws were beginning to tire and his mind went blank with exhaustion no matter how hard he tried to pay attention. That, and the fact that when ever Sainu started talking, his words just went through one ear and out the other.

His ears drooped ever so slightly in annoyance as he was told to wait outside the curtains of a room. The curtain had the same symbol on it as the tent's roof- a sapphire phoenix. Sainu gave him a demeaning glance before sweeping aside the curtains and striding inside. Two cats with pole arms took his place next to Akeboshi, standing still with blank expressions.

Closing his eyes, Akeboshi swivelled his ears towards the curtains in an attempt to hear what was going on inside. A few muffled voices indicated that Sainu was conversing with someone, deliberately being quiet. He couldn't distinguish who the other voice was, much to his own irritation. When Akeboshi attempted step closer to the curtain, the two cats shadowed his moves and blocked his way. Growling, he crossed his arms across his chest and started sulking.

He gets it from his mother's side.

**ooOoo**

"Stupid, stupid buffoon..." Haru muttered, pacing up and down outside a small tent. She'd been welcomed inside for dinner, and as soon as she sat down, the old couple shoved their son in her face, proposing that they marry! Preposterous! "Why do these things keep happening to me?!" she raised her head and cried out in frustration. "Catnapping, forced marriage, LUNATICS! I never knew cats could be so... so... _forward!_"

Of course, though, she didn't mind the... _forward_attitude of a certain feline individual. A light blush dusted her furry cheeks as she brought up an image of Baron smiling at her in her head. Swooning, she spun around to stare at the fire. _Who knew I could be so girly? _she sighed mentally, clasping her hands together behind her back. It was all so very unfair. That moment that she had shared with the Baron was the only thing that was keeping her from exploding. She knew he'd come and rescue her, just like he always does. Or promised to do. Either way, she was certain he wouldn't let her down.

Now that she thought about it, she felt selfish. Since she stepped through that portal after Kaoru, she'd been nothing but a nuisance.

"Speaking of nuisances..." she muttered, chancing a glance towards the group of armed cats that had been left with her. "How am I going to give straight-faces over there the slip?" Haru stroked an imaginary beard thoughtfully, eyeing up her enemy with fake interest. Even if she did manage to coming up with a devilishly good plan, she'd never be able to pull it off. In countless situations, her klutzy side has shown its face, much to her dismay. Though, maybe if she managed to pull together a few cats from the mini-camps around... _No, that's a bad idea. They're all here as a rebellion, right? Why would they rebel against... the rebellion? That's just stupid, stop being stupid Haru!_she scolded herself and delved in to the depths of her confusing little mind.

A slimy paw slithered up her back and over her shoulder, latching on to her top with it's claws. "H-hello..." a shaky, and... creepy voice whispered in to her ear.

Haru shrieked, turned her head to see the face of the complete weirdo-son that the old couple had thrown at her, and flailed her arms, effectively smacking him square in the face. As he flew backwards, his mouth hanging open with a slither of drool sliding down the side of his chin, Haru spun around and yelled;

"FOR THE LAST TIME- STOP TOUCHING ME!"

**ooOoo**

**Heh, I know it's a bit short, but who cares... Haru almost got drooled on.**

**I realized that my... description skills have turned to dust (what little there was of it, anyway) and I apologize, but I can't do anything about it because my brain is refusing to work- remember the lesson, kids. Serious thinking can lead to brain damage.**

**I'm also wanting to replace my cover photo for this fic with a bit of art, so if any of you guys know a person who does fan art, or you yourself does them, please contact me- I'M BEGGING YHOOOO. Dooon't go wasting your emoooootions... Laaay all your love on m- yeah, please. c':**

**Mama mia...**

**Ciao!**


	19. Haru's Not-So-Brilliant Plan

**Bleeeeggghhh...**

**School started again this week, only been in for Thursday and Friday and I'm already knackered! Uploading chapters is going to get more challenging again o_o **

**But I promise I won't fail like last time -_- though when exams get near, you're gonna have to understand, heh-heh. x')**

**Also, I have a terrible confession to make! Since chapter 14, I have been using the name 'Akeboshi'- where, in the name of all things sane, did I get that name from? His name is ASHITARE. God, Jess, you're losing it- losing it, aaaaand... Its gone. Sheesh... Had I not read over all the chapters for another do-over for spelling mistakes and whatnot, people would have thought for ever that it was a new, random character x.x but have no fear- I shall fix it, pronto! In the mean time enjoy the new chapter x')**

**ooOoo**

Ashitare had been standing there for more than half an hour with a sour face, listening to the whispers of two cats in the room beyond the curtains. His temper was slowly rising- bubbling close to overflowing. He wanted to know what they were talking about. This is what happens every time, and he dislikes it even more each time.

_Sainu. That jerk. He's always sucking up to the big people, getting their praise and rubbing it in my face with that smirk that makes me want to burn his whiskers off._

Who'd have thought that the mischievous, cloaked Ashitare could have such jealousy-filled thoughts and intentions? Everyone.

To keep his mind off of it, his thoughts morphed in to those of Haru.

Haru. The female human-cat that had caught his Master's attention so easily, and had escaped his grasp, earning him a night's punishment. She was nothing special in his eye- other than a great nuisance. He knew she didn't have it in her to ever fight and properly hurt anyone, so why was she such a threat? Coming to think of it, Ashitare recalled catching a glimpse at something glowing a bright blue underneath the cloth around her collar bone. He'd immediately dismissed it as nothing, but now he had his suspicions...

His thoughts were cut short when the curtains were thrown aside and a tight-lipped Sainu strided out and faced him.

"Ashitare," he coughed lightly. "He would like to see you now."

Ashitare set his jaw and sent Sainu a quick glare before finally stepping in to the room. It was decorated with light wooden chairs and benches, with a few palm tree pots in the corners. In the middle of the room was a large, round table which had various maps scattered over the top of it. Standing in front of the table was a cat with furr that had been dyed a bright blonde. There were a lot of cats with different dyed fur, depending on their ranks- these cats were rare and known as the main cat's right hand cat. So, basically, second in command.

"Kyo, where is the Mas-"

"Come now, Ashitare. Has your time away banished your manners?" The blonde cat named Kyo grinned at him. Ashitare bowed his head politely, his jaw still set.

"Kyo, I don't have time for this, I'm sorry," he muttered, the shadows covering his eyes as he stooped in to a lower bow.

"You never seem to have time for anything anymore, Ashitare." Kyo sighed and gestured for Ashitare to step forward.

"I need to speak with him," Ashitare said almost pleadingly as he took a couple of steps closer. His eyes flickered over the main map on the table, quickly noting the large red circle around a certain part of the woods not far from their base.

Black Cat, he hissed inwardly.

"The Master is currently napping," Kyo informed him nonchalantly. Ashitare's ears flattened back in anger and he clenched his fists tightly.

"What do you mean 'napping'?! He was talking to Sainu just a second ago!"

Kyo raised a paw to his forehead and let out a sigh. "Ashitare, you know how selective the Master is..."

"Damn right he's selective, but turning it in to favouritism? Childish," Ashitare almost spat. Kyo shrugged uncaringly, his eyes fixed on the maps laid out before him.

"If you wouldn't mind telling me," He pleaded the blonde cat slowly. "What is the Master planning for Haru?"

He blonde cat didn't react at all, almost seeming that he had not heard his request. His expression was blank when he finally looked up at Ashitare, though his eyes betrayed a hint of remorse. "She is to be treated like royalty, Ashitare. You have no reason to fear for her." He said plainly before looking back down.

Ashitare felt his heart thud dangerously in his chest as he recalled that look in his eyes. With a sudden feel of urgency, he swept from the room to make it way to Haru.

ooOoo

"No- NO, will you be quiet?!" Haru spat over her shoulder at the quivering, drooling tomcat. She let out a frustrated sigh as she snuck a peak out from behind the tent they were currently using to escape the eyes of he small groups of armed guards.

"P-princess?" The cat stuttered, letting out a slight wheeze when Haru 'accidentally' trod on his paw.

"What is it?" She snapped. "And why do you keep calling me Princess?" She finished her sentence with a pout of distaste. This sure was some weird cat.

Since he wouldn't leave her alone, and she hadn't had much time to put her feeble plan in to actin, she struck a deal with the disgusting cat. She would allow him to spend time with her as long as she could use him as a distraction. He had immediately agreed without questions, hinting at his immense stupidity, and she'd dragged him behind the tent.

Now, she was waiting for the perfect moment to let her quivering decoy loose.

"B-because you a-are our p-princess," he wheezed, a foolish grin upon those furry, drool covered lips. His teeth were tinged a dark yellow, causing Haru to gag slightly.

"I have no idea what you are in about," she said dismissively before turning her attention back to he guards. Thy we're all facing away from her now and she grinned devilishly and turned to the drooling tomcat with excitement flashing in her eyes.

"Okay," she began. "Listen up- when I say to, you're going to go running out there and act like you have rabies, alright?" She watched him nod vigorously and raised a paw to her chin. "Mmh, and perhaps act as though you have flees as well." She nodded decisively and dragged the tomcat to the edge of the tent.

"One..." She whispered. "Two..." The tomcat began to shake more violently as she drawled out the last number. "Three!"

She shoved him out from behind their cover and he immediately flung his arms in the air, flailing about as he convincingly began to foam at he mouth as he screeched at the guards. The guards reacted beautifully, in Haru's opinion: shrieking and throwing their weapons at the roaming cat, narrowly missing him as the backed away quickly. Cackling, Haru seized her chance and sprinted out from behind the tent and down the path that had been made by many feet walking over it countless times.

She ran until she could no longer hear the fake cries from the decoy cat, willing her screaming muscles to run just a little farther. _Man, this place is huge,_ she thought tiredly as she trotted to a halt.

Another thing was that it all looked the same to her. So when she came to a stop to look at her surroundings, she found herself lost amongst endless amounts of tents and campfires.

"Maybe I should have asked for a map..." She mused out loud as she slumped hopelessly to the cold ground. Her plan had been going brilliantly until now. There was always some minor- major, in this case - detail that she overlooked in every situation.

And now, she was lost and alone in a place that was potentially filled with more quivering cats that wanted to call her princess.

**ooOoo **

**Free cheers for forgetting stuff! **

**Woop woop, hooray! **

**Sorry if it was a little short. Didn't have much time and its like... Quarter to one in the morning for me.**

**I can't sleep, okay?! **

**I got an iPhone 4 on Friday and my face has literally been glued to it.**

**I've already been attacked by auto correct; I tried to text my friend that "I'm honoured" and it came up with "I'm hoboes". Soooo... Yuhp. **

**That friend is coming round today, hence why I am so super-mega excited week as I haven't seen him in ages :D and why I can't sleep. -_- **

**Anyway, R n' R or whatever you youngsters and general people of the fanfiction community call it. **

**Ciaoooo! Xx**


	20. Info Baron's Stalkers

**Hey guys.**

**Before you continue, I just want to say that this isn't a proper chapter, just a warning that the next chapter will be a few days late due to certain... Difficulties. I never warned you guys in the past and want to know if this makes it any better/easier for anyone else o_o**

**I've managed to catch the flu from a friend at school, and have been sleeping the whole time that I've been home xD so yeah, no chapter writing was done. I have a day to relax and recover tomorrow/today so I'm probably going to get it up by Monday-ish.**

**I think that having a chapter devoted to an A/N is a bad thing and one that I've made a habit of doing ;-; I should create some kind if chat thing... Or not, you never know. I could stalk a whole lot of more people that way.**

**Aaaaanyway... I feel I should do something. What should I do? Would help if you REPLIED- jk I know you can't. My mind is shaken up with BAD germs and shizzle.**

**I have an idea!**

**ooOoo**

"Gather round, gather round! Quickly- shhh!"

A group of sneaky, whispering cats huddled together in a circle outside a large wooden door in a corridor of the palace. They were all wearing beanie hats with the letters TBFC in gold along with long, purple trench coats.

They whispered to each other excitedly until what looked like the leader of their group hushed them and pulled them I closer.

"Now students, observe how he leans down... How he uses such... Such..."

"Precision?"

"Yes! Precisely," the leader cat gave the student a toothy smile of approval before turning back to their prey.

Baron picked up a pair of his dress shoes and placed them at the end of his bed. He had a troubled expression on his face, and when he went to run a paw over his forehead, a wave of whispers came from the huddled group of beanie hats.

Baron frowned and looked up, his body stilling along with the group as he listened for a noise. No one dared to breath. A single sweat drop rolled down the forehead of the leader cat as he stared nervously at the Baron, who was now gently sniffing the air. The leader cat desperately prayed that their non-scent perfume would work an that he would go back to his tidying.

Baron rolled a shoulder and turned back to his dress shoes with a blank expression and a gust of sighs mingled with each other as the group relaxed and leaned in a little closer to the door.

Baron meandered to his wardrobe, which was out of sight of his stalkers. They shoved and pushed each other to be able to see him, resulting in the most quiet wrestling match ever in history. The leader cat was panicking, pinning himself against the door to Baron's room to avoid being hit.

There was a creaking noise followed by a surprised yelp and the group of wrestling cats froze, their heads snapping towards the sound.

There was Baron, in his bath robe with a towel draped over his shoulder staring angrily at the leader cat, who was now faceplanting on the hard ground.

"If you plan on spying in me, _Detective_, please use a scent other than vinegar." Baron rolled his eyes and turned away from them, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

The detective brought his arm up to his nose and sniffed deeply. His face instantly recoiled and he glared up at his students. "WHO MESSED UP THE COLOGNE?!"

And tonight, we bow our heads in prayer for the small, delinquent cat that is unfortunately unable to smell.

**ooOoo**

**There!**

**Obviously this was before Baron left on his love-rescue, and it's something I've been wanting to add to a chapter, but I couldn't think of a good time to fit it in. I can't just randomly go;**

**FLASHBACK**

**Creepycatsstalkbaronlokllolkkookjshwhjdhdbddk**

**Or could I?**

**Blah. I'm rambling. I'm suffering from lack-of-Shan-syndrome. I usually vent my unusualness to her but she's not available ;( someone save me. And bring medicine.**

**;-; Until Monday-ish**

**Ciaooo**


	21. Clever Baron

**Hey!**

**I'm still ill so you're going to have to forgive me if this isn't fantabulous. Your reviews on this fanfic made me a very happy, bedridden nugget, especially since we hit over 60 ;D and why did my phone try to change fanfic to famfic? What even is fam? Something to do with family? IDK.**

**Onwards!**

**ooOoo**

Ashitare arrived, panting at the scene. Three guards were cowering behind a campfire which was slowly burning out, and the rest were no where to be seen. Lying on the floor, and seemingly unconscious, was a foaming cat. Ashitare had no idea who this cat was, nor why he was foaming at the mouth so he turned to the three guards, raising an eyebrow.

"A-Ashitare, please don't wake him up!" One guard begged him, his companions nodding in agreement.

"Why? Is he such a huge threat that Sainu's best guards could not handle him?" Ashitare asked, his lip curling with distaste.

"No- he's just so annoying-"

"Do you see the foam-"

"He's rabbid-"

The trio continued to jabber about the nasty side to this sleeping cat, and Ashitare instantly became uninterested. His attention was set on one particular human-cat that he needed to make sure was safe. His sudden need to protect her was unnatural to Ashitare, and it made him uncomfortable. But never the less, he'd never gone back on instinct before and he wasn't about to change that.

"Where is the girl?" He demanded, interrupting their irritating chatter. The three widened their eyes, sweat instantly glistening on their foreheads.

"Err, well, you see.."

"You let her get away, didn't you," Ashitare sighed and rubbed his forehead with his paw.

"I-In all fairness, sir, we suspect that she used this cat as a decoy," one of the guards said, glancing at his companions for assurance. "He kept yelling something like 'For Princess Haru!'"

Ashitare's eyes widened slightly at his words, glaring at the unconscious cat with renewed disgust and hatred.

Does this mean she knows?

"Sly little thing..." Ashitare muttered, shaking his head. He sent his glare towards the trio and gestured for them to leave him. So she'd run of, had she? Rolling his eyes an setting his jaw, he began to hog down the worn path. This place was big, and it would take some time to find her, but he knew his way around like it was on the back of his paw.

ooOoo

"Gah! Why is this so confusing?!" Haru whined to herself as she ended up at the same place as before. She'd been walking in circles for ages now, and the heat was really starting to get to her head. She sat down in the middle of the path and let out a frustrated sigh. If she wanted to get out of here, she'd have to concentrate more than she's ever had to in her whole entire life- no exaggeration. Haru was not the best problem solver and her patience was wearing thin.

She looked down at her paws on her lap and shook her head. "This is the perfect time for you to show up and take me home, Baron," she muttered. But there was no way he'd be able to find her. From what she had gathered, this place has been hidden for quite some time, and if no one stumbled across it before, what chances were there of anybody finding it now?

"Stop thinking so negatively, Haru," she scolded herself and stood up, brushing off the white, torn and dirtied robe. Perhaps she should have asked for something else to wear before leaving- she had been wearing the same thing for almost a week now and it really did smell.

She recalled seeing a washing line hanging from a tent a few feet back, and was sure that she spotted something wearable. She frowned as she debated whether it would be okay to steal from these people or not. It looked like they had plenty of clothes, and to be fair, it would do everyone a favour if she didn't stink like she'd been thrown in the sewers. Deciding that it would be okay, she backtracked and soon approached the said washing line.

She had a choice of a white, summery dress with floral patterns lining the sleeves and collar, or a set of leather trousers and a blouse.

Haru wasn't good at calculating the future either, but even she could tell that the latter would prove to be more handy than the dress, so she took them both and stepped behind the tent to change as quietly as she could. She was lucky no one was around, otherwise this would have looked rather peculiar.

To compensate for their loss, she pegged the ruined infirmary robe on the washing line in the clothes' place. They probably wouldn't appreciate it, but hey, what can you do?

The blouse was too long for her, and the trousers were loose around her slim waist. She tore the blouse to size and with the excess cloth, she used it as a makeshift belt and then tucked the blouse in to the trousers. Grinning at her handiwork, she stepped out from behind the tent with a new sense of cleanliness. She noted that she had nothing to wear on her feet, and glanced back at the tent. There was a set of black leather boots at the entrance to the tent, and without giving it a second thought, she slipped them on. Now all she needed was a hat with a feather coming out of it and she could apply to be a musketeer.

She looked more like a male cat than a female one now, but she decided that it was probably for the best. She was sure that she could slip past people unnoticed more if she were dressed like this. Especially when Ashitare finds out that she got away again.

She left the tent with a smile on her lips- clean clothes really did brighten up her day.

ooOoo

"Pick up the pace, boys," Baron called back to his tired group. They'd rested about just over half an hour ago and already they were tired again. If they keep this up, their search might as well have been pointless. Haru's scent was as stronger as ever in his nose, and he knew that he was getting close.

As if plotted out in his mind, he lead the other cats through tunnels and round corners in this endless labyrinth. He was immensely curious as to what created them, and how long it took, but his mind often dragged its thoughts back to Haru. If he didn't concentrate, he could lose her scent.

It displeased him that her scent was mixed with other scents of male cats, and hoped, for their sake, that nothing had happened to her. If she had been soiled in any way, there would be blood shed.

He frowned as he came to a stop- Haru's scent just disappeared right in front of him. "What is this..." He muttered, running his hands along a rather late boulder. Haru's smell had disappeared right before it, the trail ending as it pointed towards the stone.

His nose wrinkled as his attention was taken from the boulder and to his complaining companions.

"Are we stopping for a while, Baron?" One said hopefully. They were sweaty and most of them stank. Perhaps a stop is needed whilst he figured this out.

Baron nodded once and they literally collapsed to the ground. Rolling his eyes, Baron faced the boulder again. Perhaps they had masked themselves? Would be the obvious thing to do, but why do it now of all times? They've already left a huge trail leading to here.

Okay, so masking themselves isn't a possibility. Did they stop to wash? Did they get on some sort of transportation? Baron shook his head as he struggled to keep his thoughts together.

Then, suddenly, an idea popped up in his head. He pressed his ear against the side of the boulder and gestured for the others to be quiet. They looked up at him with mouths filled with bread, confused expressions on their faces.

Baron's ear twitched as he felt a mild breeze dust over his fur and he grinned, pressing against it even more. "Aha."

**ooOoo **

**Who's a clever Baron? Who's a clever boy? Yes you are! Who's a yittle brainiac...**

***cough* **

**As promised! The late chapter is yours, like I said. **

**I apologise for the previous chapter if it wasn't to some people's tastes xD I just had to do something.**

**I love you all!**

**Ciao!**


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